Last year Iron & Wine's Sam Beam paired up with Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses to deliver the collaborative covers album Sing Into Your Mouth. Now, Beam has partnered up with Jesca Hoop for a brand new musical project.
Beam and Hoop will release an album of duets titled Love Letter for Fire, which will arrive on April 15 via Sub Pop.
The pair take on guitar and vocal duties, and are backed by a supporting cast of players that includes Robert Burger on keys, Eyvind Kang on violin and viola, Wilco's Glenn Kotche on drums and percussion, Sebastian Steinberg on bass, and Edward Rankin-Parker on cello.
The collaborative record was inspired by Beam's lifelong love of musical duets. "Some of my favourite songs are duets, because the narrative is expanded," he explained in a press release. "It's not just a monologue. It's a conversation, and so it gets complicated. I had melodies over the years that I'd been compiling that I thought, this sounds like a classic Kenny and Dolly, 'Islands in the Stream' kind of thing, or George and Tammy."
Beam goes on to describe the writing and recording process, noting that Hoop "brought a lot of energy and a lot of heart in places where I would be cerebral." He continued, "In places where I would be steady, she would add an exclamation point."
Love Letter for Fire was recorded with producer Tucker Martine at Flora Recording and Playback in Portland. The album artwork is pictured above, and you can hear the lead single "Every Songbird Says" in the player below. It will be released in CD, LP, cassette and digital formats, in addition to a limited "Loser" edition on smoke-coloured vinyl. Pre-orders are available here.
The pair will be taking the new material out on the road this spring, alongside opener Marlon Williams. Scroll past the Love Letter for Fire tracklisting to see the full list of upcoming North American shows listed below.
Love Letter for Fire:
1. Welcome to Feeling
2. One Way to Pray
3. The Lamb You Lost
4. We Two are a Moon
5. Midas Tongue
6. Know the Wild That Wants You
7. Every Songbird Says
8. Bright Lights and Goodbyes
9. Kiss Me Quick
10. Chalk it Up to Chi
11. Valley Clouds
12. Soft Place to Land
13. Sailor to Siren
Tour dates:
05/17 Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark *
05/18 Toronto, Ontario - Danforth Theatre *
05/20 New York, NY - Town Hall *
05/21 Washington, DC - Lincoln Theater *
05/22 Boston, MA - Wilburn Theater *
05/24 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer *
05/26 Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theatre*
05/27 New Orleans, LA - Civic Theater *
05/28 Dallas, TX - Kessler Theater *
05/30 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre *
05/31 Los Angeles, CA - Fonda Theater *
06/02 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall *
06/03 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater *
06/04 Seattle, WA - Neptune Theater *
06/05 Boise, ID - Egyptian Theater *
06/06 Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater *
06/08 Omaha, NE - Slowdown *
06/09 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater *
06/10 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall *
06/11 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall *
* with Marlon Williams
Beam and Hoop will release an album of duets titled Love Letter for Fire, which will arrive on April 15 via Sub Pop.
The pair take on guitar and vocal duties, and are backed by a supporting cast of players that includes Robert Burger on keys, Eyvind Kang on violin and viola, Wilco's Glenn Kotche on drums and percussion, Sebastian Steinberg on bass, and Edward Rankin-Parker on cello.
The collaborative record was inspired by Beam's lifelong love of musical duets. "Some of my favourite songs are duets, because the narrative is expanded," he explained in a press release. "It's not just a monologue. It's a conversation, and so it gets complicated. I had melodies over the years that I'd been compiling that I thought, this sounds like a classic Kenny and Dolly, 'Islands in the Stream' kind of thing, or George and Tammy."
Beam goes on to describe the writing and recording process, noting that Hoop "brought a lot of energy and a lot of heart in places where I would be cerebral." He continued, "In places where I would be steady, she would add an exclamation point."
Love Letter for Fire was recorded with producer Tucker Martine at Flora Recording and Playback in Portland. The album artwork is pictured above, and you can hear the lead single "Every Songbird Says" in the player below. It will be released in CD, LP, cassette and digital formats, in addition to a limited "Loser" edition on smoke-coloured vinyl. Pre-orders are available here.
The pair will be taking the new material out on the road this spring, alongside opener Marlon Williams. Scroll past the Love Letter for Fire tracklisting to see the full list of upcoming North American shows listed below.
Love Letter for Fire:
1. Welcome to Feeling
2. One Way to Pray
3. The Lamb You Lost
4. We Two are a Moon
5. Midas Tongue
6. Know the Wild That Wants You
7. Every Songbird Says
8. Bright Lights and Goodbyes
9. Kiss Me Quick
10. Chalk it Up to Chi
11. Valley Clouds
12. Soft Place to Land
13. Sailor to Siren
Tour dates:
05/17 Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark *
05/18 Toronto, Ontario - Danforth Theatre *
05/20 New York, NY - Town Hall *
05/21 Washington, DC - Lincoln Theater *
05/22 Boston, MA - Wilburn Theater *
05/24 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer *
05/26 Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theatre*
05/27 New Orleans, LA - Civic Theater *
05/28 Dallas, TX - Kessler Theater *
05/30 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre *
05/31 Los Angeles, CA - Fonda Theater *
06/02 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall *
06/03 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater *
06/04 Seattle, WA - Neptune Theater *
06/05 Boise, ID - Egyptian Theater *
06/06 Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater *
06/08 Omaha, NE - Slowdown *
06/09 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater *
06/10 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall *
06/11 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall *
* with Marlon Williams
