For fans of Calexico, Ray LaMontagne, Death Cab for Cutie 

 When the pandemic hit and the whole world shut down, Sam Beam, the creative mind behind Iron & Wine, also found himself trapped in a domestic cocoon. Making music didn't really seem possible anymore, but sometimes misfortune brings unexpected blessings. 

 The road back began in Memphis, where Sam recorded Lori McKenna songs for the EP Lori with friend and producer Matt Ross-Spang. “Back to basics” became the motto: solo acoustic concerts in an intimate setting. This was Sam Beam's way out of the valley. With success, because after a long winter, the sun finally appeared again and a bigger tour with Andrew Bird followed. 

It was in this spirit that Light Verse was also created, arguably Iron & Wine's most playful album to date, brimming with joy after so many dark days. For the recordings at the famous Waystation studio in Los Angeles, Beam recruited a lot of talented musical personalities : Tyler Chester (keyboards), Sebastian Steinberg (bass), David Garza (guitar), Griffin Goldsmith, Beth Goodfellow and Kyle Crane (drums), Paul Cartwright (fiddle and mandolin), even Fiona Apple was generous enough to lend her voice to the duet All In Good Time. Light Verse is the seventh full-length album by Iron & Wine and the fifth for Sub Pop Records. It’s an album best listened to in its entirety to enjoy the music which is both affectionate and authentic, confident as a firm handshake, carried by the warm voice of the charismatic Sam Beam.