The Creek Drank the Cradle

The Creek Drank the Cradle
Studio album by
Iron & Wine
ReleasedSeptember 24, 2002
Genre
Length39:26
LabelSub Pop
ProducerIron & Wine
Iron & Wine chronology
The Creek Drank the Cradle
(2002) 		The Sea & The Rhythm
(2003)

The Creek Drank the Cradle is the debut studio album by the American musician Iron & Wine (aka Sam Beam). 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.

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 provided a rhythm section on the finished piece. However, the demos were released instead.[3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic87/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The Austin Chronicle[6]
Drowned in Sound8/10[7]
Pitchfork8.1/10[8]
Q[9]
StylusB+[10]
Tiny Mix Tapes4.5/5[11]
Uncut[12]

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".[4]

Pitchfork placed The Creek Drank the Cradle at number 137 on its list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s.[13] Tim Sendra of AllMusic called it "a stunning debut and one of the best records of 2002".[5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sam Beam

No.TitleLength
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
7" Vinyl Single
No.TitleLength
1."Her Tea Leaves"3:50
2."Carissa's Wierd [sic][14]"2:07
Total length:5:57

References

  1. ^ Pitchfork Staff (October 2, 2009). "The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 28, 2023. The Creek Drank the Cradle is a stunning collection of traditional folk music...
  2. ^ Miller, Derek (September 25, 2007). "Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog - Review". Stylus. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  3. ^ Perlich, Tim (September 29, 2005). "IRON & WINE/CALEXICO". Now. 25 (5). Archived from the original on September 6, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Reviews for The Creek Drank The Cradle by Iron & Wine". Metacritic. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Sendra, Tim. "The Creek Drank the Cradle – Iron & Wine". AllMusic. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  6. ^ Lynch, David (March 14, 2003). "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle (Sub Pop)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  7. ^ Robertson, Neil (April 27, 2003). "Album Review: Iron & Wine – The Creek Drank The Cradle". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  8. ^ Kearney, Ryan (October 1, 2002). "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  9. ^ "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle". Q (200): 109. March 2003.
  10. ^ Martin, Tyler (September 1, 2003). "Iron and Wine – The Creek Drank the Cradle – Review". Stylus. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  11. ^ Jean-Pierre. "Iron & Wine – The Creek Drank The Cradle". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  12. ^ "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle". Uncut (66): 121. November 2002.
  13. ^ "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 150–101". Pitchfork. September 28, 2009. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
  14. ^ "Carissa Wierd". Iron and Wine. September 24, 2012. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2013.


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