The Creek Drank the Cradle is the debut studio album by American musician Iron & Wine (aka Sam Beam). It was released on September 24, 2002. The vinyl LP release came with a bonus 7" vinyl single. The promo CD for this album was released in a cardboard sleeve with alternate artwork.
Background
The sparse lo-fi sound of the album is attributed to Beam recording the tracks at home on a four-track recorder initially as demos. His intention was to pass these on to Joey Burns and John Convertino of the band Calexico who would provide a rhythm section on the finished piece. However the demos were released instead.[1]
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 87/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Austin Chronicle |  [4] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[5] |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10[6] |
| Q | [7] |
| Stylus Magazine | B+[8] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | 4.5/5[9] |
| Uncut | [10] |
The Creek Drank the Cradle has received widespread critical acclaim since its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 87, based on 14 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[2]
Pitchfork placed The Creek Drank the Cradle at number 137 on their list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s.[11] Tim Sendra of AllMusic called it "a stunning debut and one of the best records of 2002."[3]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Sam Beam.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lion's Mane" | 2:49 |
| 2. | "Bird Stealing Bread" | 4:21 |
| 3. | "Faded from the Winter" | 3:17 |
| 4. | "Promising Light" | 2:49 |
| 5. | "The Rooster Moans" | 3:24 |
| 6. | "Upward Over the Mountain" | 5:56 |
| 7. | "Southern Anthem" | 3:54 |
| 8. | "An Angry Blade" | 3:48 |
| 9. | "Weary Memory" | 4:01 |
| 10. | "Promise What You Will" | 2:24 |
| 11. | "Muddy Hymnal" | 2:43 |
| Total length: | 39:26 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Her Tea Leaves" | 3:50 |
| 2. | "Carissa's Wierd [sic][12]" | 2:07 |
| Total length: | 5:57 | |
References
- ^ http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/story.cfm?content=149568
- ^ a b "Reviews for The Creek Drank The Cradle by Iron & Wine". Metacritic. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ a b Sendra, Tim. "The Creek Drank the Cradle – Iron & Wine". AllMusic. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ Lynch, David (March 14, 2003). "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle (Sub Pop)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ Robertson, Neil (April 27, 2003). "Album Review: Iron & Wine – The Creek Drank The Cradle". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ Kearney, Ryan (October 1, 2002). "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle". Q (200): 109. March 2003.
- ^ Martin, Tyler (September 1, 2003). "Iron and Wine – The Creek Drank the Cradle – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ Jean-Pierre. "Iron & Wine – The Creek Drank The Cradle". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle". Uncut (66): 121. November 2002.
- ^ Pitchfork staff (September 28, 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 150–101". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
- ^ "Carissa Wierd". ironandwine.com. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2013.