Album: Iron and Wine, Ghost on Ghost (4AD)

The early word was I&W had "gone jazz", but nothing is that straightforward in Sam Beam's world, and Ghost on Ghost is as dense stylistically as it is lyrically.

What is worth noting is that Beam grows in confidence with each release and there are songs here so polished they could be mistaken for George Michael (in a good way). Best lyric? Too many to choose from but "the makers of the medicine will always say you're looking sick" would take some beating.