Poetic, Unconventional, Ethereal.
Marking Iron & Wine’s eighth studio album, Hen’s Teeth is a poetic journey exploring various themes of human emotion, mainly heartbreak. Samuel Beam, the brilliant mind behind Iron & Wine, delivers fans and possible newcomers his typical whisper, dreamlike melodies, paired with harmonies from his daughter, Arden Beam, that add a soft heavenly touch to the tracks.
When asked about the album’s intriguing title, Beam explains to Sub Pop that the title is reminiscent of the record itself; something that shouldn’t exist but was created due to a series of fortunate events/a happy accident. He states, “To me it suggests the impossible. Hen’s teeth do not exist. And that’s what this record felt like: a gift that shouldn’t be there, but it is. An impossible thing but it’s real.”
Just like the poetic, confusing meaning behind the creation of this album, the tracks themselves are similarly perplexing, offering listeners songs with deep, reflective messages and a possible new outlook on their journey through life and love.
The opening track, “Roses” is a slow burner, lacking the conventional heavy electric guitar and drums that is familiar in many songs of this genre. All of the songs in this album have a consistent, slow instrumental that peaks from time to time, but never truly hits a loud, blaring climax, which works for this album.
The first two songs in this album have similar meanings of life being what one makes it and learning to be happy with one’s lot in life. The third song, however, shifts the focus to the tumultuous realm of relationships and heartbreak, a topic that remains prevalent until the fifth track on this record. “Robin’s Egg,” featuring I’m With Her (a folk trio comprised of Sarah Jarosz, Sara Watkins and Aoife O’Donovan) tells the story about two past lovers, one that still reminisces on the former relationship and is left a reserved empty shell due to the breakup, while the other has turned over a new leaf.
The following track, “Singing Saw,” continues from the perspective of the reserved lover, exploring their refusal to change as life moves on, deciding to fall back on old familiar patterns. Instead of noticing the differences around them and changing with them, the person decides to mindlessly keep wandering along their same path in life, only being able to spot the change, not adapt with it.
“In Your Ocean,” the final chapter in this sage, continues on the topic of relationships, but focuses on the toxicity of it. Beam sings about desiring peace and safety after a relationship, although he can’t help but go back to his partner, describing it as the violent action of drowning when he finds himself “in her ocean.” Despite his undying love for his former partner, his feelings aren’t reciprocated, leaving him alone and lost in his thoughts and hopes.
Tracks six and seven, “Defiance, Ohio” and “Wait Up,” continue on the depressing path of Beam’s uncertainty about his path in life, but the eighth song, “Grace Notes” juxtaposes its predecessors by offering a calmer, more reassuring message. Through his journey, Beam begins focusing on the smaller things in life and begins detailing his appreciation for them, despite the turmoil he’s facing. It’s the first real glimpse of happiness in this album, relaying the message that sometimes the small things in life shine brighter and can change your worldview once you open your eyes to them.
The penultimate song “Dates and Dead People” goes back to the main theme of the album about the cyclical nature of life and its everyday patterns. Beam sings about life as if it is the mundane and explores how things just come and go as people simply continue living. The final track, “Half Measures,” brings a fitting conclusion to the album, as Beam ends his journey of life by coming to an understanding of how the world works and how things come to an end, but he retains the same mindset of refusing to let go of the past, realizing he’s still not ready to say goodbye.
Throughout the album, Beam presents listeners with a tumultuous, yet realistic story about the journey of life that many may or not be able to learn from but one that all can enjoy due to its profound meanings and hypnotic instrumentals.
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