Name: Years to Burn
Brand: Calexico / Iron and Wine

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

SLANG50224LP

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "SLANG50224LP"}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

180 Gram

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "180 Gram"}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2020-05-20

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

4250506833435

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "4250506833435"}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

Total Cap

1 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / black

Artist

Calexico / Iron and Wine 

Genre GB

Country / Americana

Label GB

City Slang

Lincoln Barr is a composer, singer, and guitarist currently based in South Carolina. His latest album, Forfeit the Prize – the third full-length release under his own name, following a decade-plus leading Seattle-based pop group Red Jacket Mine – explores destiny, gratitude, and wonder, embellishing his trademark deft songcraft with a sonic palette that blends string-laden Bacharachian grandeur, sophisticated soul, torchy chanson, and dubby, spectral psychedelia.

After a pandemic interlude that saw the release of several boundary-stretching singles, Barr reconvened the core cast from solo debut Trembling Frames for a joyous session in late summer 2021 – guitarist, co-producer, and confidante Johnny Sangster (Neko Case, Braly Sangster, The Tripwires); the “indispensable” and sympathetic drummer John Convertino, one-half of Tucson legends Calexico; nimble bassist and avant-jazz staple Keith Lowe (Bill Frisell, Wayne Horvitz, Robin Holcomb); and one of Barr’s most vital collaborators over the past decade, keyboard wizard (and nascent string arranger) Daniel Walker – cutting Forfeit the Prize’s ten tracks live to tape over a few days at Sangster’s Crackle & Pop! Studio in Seattle. 

For finishing touches, Barr and Sangster enlisted a virtual wrecking crew that included string arrangers Walker (Heart, Amy Ray) and Andrew Joslyn (Mark Lanegan, Seattle Symphony); saxophonist Levon Henry (The Milk Carton Kids, Meshell Ndegeocello, Joe Henry); Chicago-based vocalists Kelly Hogan, Nora O’Connor-Kean, and Casey McDonough (Mavis Staples, Iron & Wine, NRBQ); and longtime ally Jefferson Curtis Brown (Downpilot, Half Rushmore). The album is set for an October 21, 2022 release on Seattle’s Two Roads Records.

In addition to 2017’s Trembling Frames, which chronicled his own childhood trauma and its aftermath, Barr also composed and cast many of the same musicians to record Cruel Dream: Music From and Inspired by The Past is Never Dead, the soundtrack to director Steve E. Turner’s 2019 documentary feature. He plans to perform live in support of Forfeit the Prize throughout 2023.

City Slang is an independent German label founded by Christof Ellinghaus. Renowned for its eclectic roster, the label encompasses everything from rock to post-rock and electronic music.

With a diverse range of artists, City Slang has become known for its unique and innovative approach to music. From established acts to emerging talent, the label consistently delivers high-quality releases that push boundaries and defy genre conventions.

As a leading force in the industry, City Slang has been instrumental in shaping the sound of contemporary music. With their distinctive style and commitment to artistic integrity, they have garnered a loyal following of music enthusiasts worldwide.

Calexico and Iron and Wine first made an artistic connection with In the Reins, the 2005 EP that brought Sam Beam, Joey Burns and John Convertino together. The acclaimed collaboration introduced both acts to wider audiences and broadened Beam’s artistic horizons, but it was the shared experience of touring together in the tradition of Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue that cemented the bond. Their metaphorical roads diverged in the years that followed, but they kept in touch and cross-pollinated where they could. Although they often talked about rekindling their collaboration in the studio and on stage, it wasn’t until last year that their schedules aligned.

Years to Burn can’t help but be different from In the Reins. Back then, Calexico entered the studio with a long list of previous collaborations (first in Giant Sand, then backing the likes of Victoria Williams and Richard Buckner) and the knowledge that they loved Sam’s voice and his songs, but wondered if his material was so complete and self-contained that it lacked a way in, so hushed and delicate that it might be overwhelmed.

Years to Burn was recorded in Nashville with noted producer Matt Ross-Spang over the course of five days at Sound Emporium, a fabled studio founded in the sixties by Cowboy Jack Clement and the site of countless landmark sessions in country and rock over the ensuing decades. It features contributions from veteran Calexico trumpet player Jacob Valenzuela and Paul Niehaus on pedal steel, along with frequent Beam cohorts Rob Burger (Tin Hat Trio) on piano and Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing, Fiona Apple) on bass.

Years to Burn features ten new original compositions. While Beam wrote all the songs for In the Reins, this recording features contributions from both Beam and Burns as well as from Convertino and those featured on the record. While the two may have taken differing approaches to songwriting, the spirit of collaboration was alive and well in the studio; Sam shared demos ahead of time and was ready for the others to con-tribute with arrangement ideas and instrumental parts, while Joey spontaneous as ev-er, came in with concepts and an eagerness to improvise.

Years to Burn

Music GB

Discover Years to Burn by Calexico / Iron and Wine. Available in CD and LP formats. A collaboration that brings together two talented artists. Label: City Slang.