The two discs are divided thematically. The first collects early home recordings and suggests that Sam Beam (the man behind the Iron & Wine sobriquet) was born fully formed, with his trademark beard and distinctive musical vision encoded in his DNA. He is able to pair down the essences of finger-style guitarist John Fahey's folk-blues and the lazily dreamy air of alt-country croaker Will Oldham (aka, Bonnie "Prince" Billy), combine these rudimentary elements, and usher forth his own unique identity. A song like "Morning" is emblematic of Beam's approach. He sets up a steady picking pattern on his acoustic and joins himself on some tasteful flourishes of slide guitar. Then, mid-song, he introduces a brief banjo run. Everything is perfectly placed, making his deft compositions and arrangements feel effortless. Shushing through the song like a breeze off a lake is Beam's voice, another unassuming instrument of greatly evocative power.

While most of the cuts on Around the Well are Sam Beam originals, not all are. Iron & Wine's lovely take on The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" turns out to be no fluke, as Beam is quite adept at covering other artist's songs. In addition to that sweet track – so well known from its inclusion in the film Garden State – are other renditions of great alt-pop songs turned into indie folk. Beam's hushed, DIY version of The Flaming Lips' "Waitn' for a Superman" replaces the band's grandiosity with simple acoustic guitar arpeggios and breathy vocals that sound like they were recorded in a broom closet at 4 AM. Iron & Wine's very pretty cover of New Order's "Love Vigilantes" is a little more fleshed out, but not much. On your next mix, sequence this track right after Frente's excellent rendering of "Bizarre love Triangle."

Towards the end of disc two, which consists of material recorded in proper studios, the songs grow in complexity. These are more recent outtakes, reflecting the full-blooded approach Beam took on The Shepherd's Dog. "Serpent Charmer," for instance, features backward-tracked guitar and tabla-like percussion, for a George Harrison-esque feel, while "Kingdom of the Animals" offers lap steel guitar, brushed drums, and tinkling piano – why, it's practically a honky-tonk tune! Still, Beam's steadily quiet tenor demands that his accompaniment not grow too raucous, and that makes any song he records sound like Iron & Wine, regardless of arrangement.

In a sense, once you've heard one Iron & Wine tune, you've heard them all. This is especially true up through the middle of disc two of this set. You can easily ignore the gaps between tracks and experience it all as a continuous stream of Iron & Wine-ness. However, close attention to each number reveals another great set of lyrics and beautiful melodies. Despite its status as an odds 'n' sods compilation, Around the Well holds up solidly amidst Sam Beam's impressive body of work.

-Michael Keefe

Iron & Wine Discography:

The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002)
Our Endless Numbered Days (2004)
The Shepherd's Dog (2007)
Around the Well (2009)