For those who wish
Iron & Wine had never left the cozy confines of
Sam Beam's bedroom,
A Weather flaunts a similar brand of understated, pillow-soft indie folk. Vocals are whispered and acoustic guitars are strummed, conjuring up images of early mornings and rural landscapes without directly referencing either in the lyrics. But while
Iron & Wine's earliest recordings relied on the simple combination of
Beam's vocals and acoustic guitar,
Cove is the work of five multi-instrumentalists, including a pair of guitarists and two able-voiced singers. The resulting sound is still quiet, but it's also lush, with songs like "Hanging Towers of Baltimore" wrapping the band's co-ed harmonies around puddles of guitar, keyboard swells, and light percussion. Aaron Gerber and Sarah Winchester are the obvious leaders here, and the boy-girl interplay of their voices helps illustrate the lovers' quarrels that give
Cove most if its lyrical content. The effect is both somber and soothing, especially during the slow-motion jaunt of "Screw Up Your Courage," where jazz-influenced basslines underscore quietly biting lines like "You could bring me juice and saltines when I'm under the weather and over you." It's easy to gloss over such lyrics when the accompanying music is so calming, and
Cove accordingly reveals itself in layers, waiting until the third or fourth listen to disclose all its parts. From the light use of slide guitar in "Oh My Stars" to the quiet chimes and violin in "Shirley Road Shirley,"
A Weather slyly demands attention, making
Cove a more ambitious album than its minimalism would have you believe. ~ Andrew Leahey