Love Letter for Fire | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop | ||||
Released | April 15, 2016 | |||
Studio | Flora Recording & Playback, Portland, Oregon | |||
Genre | Indie folk | |||
Length | 38:50 | |||
Label | Sub Pop | |||
Producer | Tucker Martine | |||
Iron & Wine chronology | ||||
| ||||
Jesca Hoop chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Love Letter for Fire | ||||
|
Love Letter for Fire is a collaborative album by American singer-songwriter Sam Beam,commonly known as Iron &Wine,and American singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop,released on April 15,2016,on Sub Pop.
Love Letter for Fire was recorded at Flora Recording &Playback in Portland,Oregon. The album features contributions from Wilco's Glenn Kotche,Rob Burger,Eyvind Kang,Sebastian Steinberg,and Edward Rankin-Parker. It was produced,recorded,and mixed by Tucker Martine. Iron &Wine and Jesca Hoop toured North America in support of the album,starting in May 2016. [1]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 79/100 [2] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
The A.V. Club | B+ [4] |
Consequence of Sound | B [5] |
The Guardian | [6] |
musicOMH | [7] |
Paste | 7.9/10 [8] |
Pitchfork | 7.5/10 [9] |
PopMatters | [10] |
Love Letter for Fire received largely positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic,which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics,the album received an average score of 79,based on 17 reviews,which indicates "generally favorable reviews". [2]
Emmanuel Elone of PopMatters praised the album,stating,"By playing on the strengths of both artists while minimizing any deficiencies each may have,Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop have mastered the collaborative album. Where Iron &Wine can sound a bit too sleepy,Hoop plays up her vocals or instrumentation to keep the music lively;if she begins to make her performance a bit too grandiose,Beam is there to keep her feet on level ground. As a whole,Love Letter for Fire is the sonic equivalent of sitting in front of a campfire on the starry night with a couple of close friends strumming their acoustic guitar;it’s bucolic,simple,and guaranteed to delight. So grab some hot chocolate,put on the most comfortable pair of sweatpants that you can find,and let Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop serenade you with their majestic voices. If that’s not magical,nothing is." [10]
Allison Hussey of Pitchfork Media gave the album a favorable review,stating,"Instead of a love letter to consuming blazes,Hoop's and Beam's collection appeals to our individual internal pilot lights:those softly smoldering flames that illuminate moments of beauty in ourselves,in each other,and beyond." [9] Mark Deming of AllMusic gave the album a favorable review,stating,"Love Letter for Fire sounds like Beam and Hoop were born to work together. The yin and yang of their individual perspectives fit together marvelously,and this rests comfortably with the best of both their recorded works." [3]
Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|
Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2016 | 2016 | 34 [11] |
All tracks are written by Sam Beam and Jesca Hoop
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Welcome to Feeling" | 0:58 |
2. | "One Way to Pray" | 3:28 |
3. | "The Lamb You Lost" | 3:31 |
4. | "We Two Are a Moon" | 2:34 |
5. | "Midas Tongue" | 3:03 |
6. | "Know the Wild That Wants You" | 2:57 |
7. | "Every Songbird Says" | 3:23 |
8. | "Bright Lights and Goodbyes" | 3:43 |
9. | "Kiss Me Quick" | 2:44 |
10. | "Chalk It Up to Chi" | 2:20 |
11. | "Valley Clouds" | 3:20 |
12. | "Soft Place to Land" | 3:34 |
13. | "Sailor to Siren" | 3:15 |
Total length: | 38:50 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Love Letter for Fire. [12]
Chart (2016) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Albums (OCC) [13] | 163 |
UK Americana Albums (OCC) [14] | 21 |
US Billboard 200 [15] | 174 |
US Folk Albums (Billboard) [16] | 7 |
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [17] | 1 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [18] | 15 |
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [19] | 14 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [20] | 20 |
Samuel "Sam" Ervin Beam, better known by his stage name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released six studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a live album. He occasionally tours with a full band.
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is the fourth studio album by American rock band Wilco, first released commercially on April 23, 2002, though released on their band’s website on September 18, 2001. Recording sessions for the album began in late 2000. These sessions, which were documented for the film I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, were marred by conflicts including a switch in drummers and disagreements among the band members and engineers about songs. Despite this, the album would be completed in early 2001. The album showcased a more atmospheric and experimental sound than the band's previous work, and has been described as art rock and indie rock by music critics. It was the band's first album with drummer Glenn Kotche, and last with multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Jay Bennett.
Calexico is an American indie rock band based in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1996, the band's two main members, Joey Burns and John Convertino, first played together in Los Angeles as part of the group Giant Sand. They have recorded a number of albums on Quarterstick Records and City Slang, and their 2005 EP, In the Reins, recorded with Iron & Wine, reached the Billboard 200 album charts. Their musical style is influenced by traditional Latin sounds of mariachi, conjunto, cumbia, and tejano mixed with country, jazz, and post-rock.
Our Endless Numbered Days is the second full-length album from Iron & Wine. Released on March 23, 2004 on Sub Pop, it was the first non-solo effort by Sam Beam under his Iron & Wine moniker. Limited edition copies of the vinyl LP came with a bonus 7" vinyl single. Limited edition copies of the CD came with a bonus CD single. On January 29, 2019, Sub Pop announced that a deluxe edition of the album commemorating its 15th anniversary would be released on March 22, 2019, featuring previously unreleased demos of eight of the tracks from the original album.
The Creek Drank the Cradle is the first studio album by the American musician Iron & Wine. It was released on September 24, 2002. The vinyl LP release had a bonus 7" vinyl single. The promotional CD for this album was released in a cardboard sleeve with different artwork.
"Such Great Heights" is a song by American indie pop band The Postal Service. It was released as the lead single from their debut studio album, Give Up, in 2003 through Sub Pop Records. The single includes a previously unreleased track, "There's Never Enough Time", and two cover tracks by The Shins and Iron & Wine of "We Will Become Silhouettes" and "Such Great Heights", respectively.
Only with Laughter Can You Win is the second album by American singer-songwriter Rosie Thomas, released on September 23, 2003 by Sub Pop.
The Shepherd's Dog is the third full-length studio album by Iron & Wine, released on September 25, 2007. If bought at select retailers or if pre-ordered through Sub Pop, the album comes with a bonus disc featuring two unreleased tracks. "Boy with a Coin" is the first single and was released on July 10, 2007 via Sub Pop, including the single edit of the song along with two other tracks.
Jessica "Jesca" Ada Hoop is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, who writes and performs in diverse musical styles. She has released six studio albums of her own, as well as live, acoustic and dual albums with others.
I and Love and You is the 2009 major label debut by The Avett Brothers and produced by Rick Rubin.
Kiss Each Other Clean is the fourth studio album by Iron & Wine, released January 25, 2011 via 4AD (worldwide) and Warner Bros. in the US. The album's title is taken from the lyrics of "Your Fake Name Is Good Enough for Me".
Waxahatchee is an American indie music project, formed in 2010 by American singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield, previously a member of P.S. Eliot. The band is named after Waxahatchee Creek, in Alabama, where Crutchfield grew up. Originally an acoustic solo project, her recordings now tend to involve a backing band, and the music has increasingly been performed this way. Crutchfield, as Waxahatchee, has released 5 albums to date: American Weekend (2012), Cerulean Salt (2013), Ivy Tripp (2015), Out in the Storm (2017) and Saint Cloud (2020).
Ghost on Ghost is the fifth full-length studio album by Iron & Wine, released April 16, 2013 via 4AD (worldwide) and Nonesuch in the US. The album's title is taken from the lyrics of "Grace for Saints and Ramblers" and the cover is taken from photographer Barbara Crane's series "Private Views." Ghost on Ghost exhibits jazz, pop, and R&B influences and contains a more relaxed style and approach in comparison to Beam's previous two albums, which he felt contained an "anxious tension" he wanted to move away from.
Lucius is an American four-piece indie pop band. The group was founded in 2007 by lead vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, joined by drummer Dan Molad, guitarist Peter Lalish, and, formerly, multi-instrumentalist Andrew Burri. Originating in Brooklyn, the band relocated to Los Angeles in 2015.
Archive Series Volume No. 1 is a rarities collection by Iron & Wine, released February 24, 2015 on Beam's new record label Black Cricket Recording Co. The collection consists of unreleased home recordings and demos from the same time period as the 2002 album The Creek Drank the Cradle and the 2003 EP The Sea & The Rhythm. "Everyone's Summer of '95" was the first track to be officially released from the album.
Star Wars is the ninth studio album by American alternative rock group Wilco. It was self-released for free on July 16, 2015, through wilcoworld.net. It is the second Wilco album that was released on their own label dBpm. A CD version of the album was released on August 21 and a vinyl version was released on October 13. The album emerged from Wilco recording sessions at The Loft that also resulted in their 2016 album Schmilco.
DJDS is an American production and DJ duo consisting of Jerome LOL and Samo Sound Boy, based in Los Angeles.
Beast Epic is the sixth full-length studio album by Iron & Wine, released August 25, 2017 via both Black Cricket Recording Company and Sub Pop.
Ruins is the fourth studio album by Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit. The album was produced by Tucker Martine and features contributions from R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, Wilco's Glenn Kotche and Midlake's McKenzie Smith. The album was released on 19 January 2018. The lead single "It's a Shame" was released on 28 September 2017.
Weed Garden is an EP by American musician Iron & Wine. It was released on August 30, 2018 through Sub Pop.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)