The Creek Drank the Cradle | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 24, 2002 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 39:26 | |||
Label | Sub Pop | |||
Producer | Iron & Wine | |||
Iron & Wine chronology | ||||
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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.
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]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 87/100[4] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
The Austin Chronicle | [6] |
Drowned in Sound | 8/10[7] |
Pitchfork | 8.1/10[8] |
Q | [9] |
Stylus | B+[10] |
Tiny Mix Tapes | 4.5/5[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]
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][14]" | 2:07 |
Total length: | 5:57 |
The Creek Drank the Cradle is a stunning collection of traditional folk music...