User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 40 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 40
  2. Negative: 1 out of 40
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  1. Jan 26, 2011
    8
    Who is Chad Taylor? HE is the drummer in the group. Samuel Beam is the main guy. The group should be called IRON & WINE

    Got this at Borders a week early - oops! I like all IRON & WINE's stuff. More blues / country than I usually like, but this guy always puts out winners in my book. My main point was to correct the mistaken identity of the musician / group - not to write a review.
  2. Jan 27, 2011
    7
    i cant say im a fan or something, it's just that i love good music when and where i can find it. right there, i can tell i found some of it. 1rst of all, the art concept is nice, and so is the man's beard. And even thought i fancied, that, after those exterior signs of originality, the music will be just as innovative... well, i must say, the 10 recordings didnt quite lived to myi cant say im a fan or something, it's just that i love good music when and where i can find it. right there, i can tell i found some of it. 1rst of all, the art concept is nice, and so is the man's beard. And even thought i fancied, that, after those exterior signs of originality, the music will be just as innovative... well, i must say, the 10 recordings didnt quite lived to my expectations. generating quite the opposite effect. thus, any experiments werent welcome in my ears, i think what those gentlemen are best @, are simple melodies and elemental arrangements, trio-more-like (guitar bass drums). but i guess there's a void in the steampunk stream to replete. Collapse
  3. Jan 27, 2011
    9
    Just finished my first listen and I'm already in love with the album. In reading some of the critic's reviews, I was expecting a series of highs and lows or at least a few disappointments sprinkled among the triumphs. The disappointments never really came, though. I will admit, however, I started out as a pretty big Iron and Wine fan, so maybe I am predisposed to liking the album andJust finished my first listen and I'm already in love with the album. In reading some of the critic's reviews, I was expecting a series of highs and lows or at least a few disappointments sprinkled among the triumphs. The disappointments never really came, though. I will admit, however, I started out as a pretty big Iron and Wine fan, so maybe I am predisposed to liking the album and ignoring its flaws. Highlights include the opening track, "Walking Far from Home", and the very funky "Big Burned Hand". Buy or download and enjoy! Expand
  4. Jan 31, 2011
    8
    I enjoyed it, don't be fooled. It's an album that will kind of annoy you when you listen to it front to back. I was finding myself wanting more, wanting them to experiment even further. But Iron and Wine, knows where they belong, and tend to go back to that place frequently.
  5. Feb 23, 2011
    8
    The vast majority of 'Kiss Each Other Clean' truly is a beautiful album full of the ambiance and lyrical genius that is Sam Beam. And to answer fans and critics alike who bemoan the fuller, more produced sound: I believe that Beam's progression up the studio-production/layering/band-size ladder is only natural for anyone that considers himself an artist. Read my full review at:The vast majority of 'Kiss Each Other Clean' truly is a beautiful album full of the ambiance and lyrical genius that is Sam Beam. And to answer fans and critics alike who bemoan the fuller, more produced sound: I believe that Beam's progression up the studio-production/layering/band-size ladder is only natural for anyone that considers himself an artist. Read my full review at: http://www.altinterstate.com/2011/01/album-review-sort-of-iron-wine-kiss.html Expand
  6. Apr 7, 2011
    9
    It would be ridiculous to attempt to describe each of the album's 10 tunes, since a few clicks of your mouse will deliver the album to your doorstep, figurative or literal, and my verbose descriptions would probably bore you. But let me assure you, not one piece of Kiss Each Other Clean is boring. There is the relaxed groove (supplemented by electronic sounds) of "Monkeys Uptown," one ofIt would be ridiculous to attempt to describe each of the album's 10 tunes, since a few clicks of your mouse will deliver the album to your doorstep, figurative or literal, and my verbose descriptions would probably bore you. But let me assure you, not one piece of Kiss Each Other Clean is boring. There is the relaxed groove (supplemented by electronic sounds) of "Monkeys Uptown," one of the most immediate tracks on the album; there is the poignant piano-led ballad "Godless Brother In Love," whose lyrics confront loss and parents' feelings about children; there is the doo-wop/country/folk mash-up "Half Moon," where Beam's influences - and emotions - are clear: "I wake beside you on the floor/ Counting your breathing/ 'Cause I can't see nothing in this half moon/ Lay me down if i should lose you." But most of all, there is the finale "Your Fake Name Is Good Enough For Me." It is not so much a denouement or an epilogue as it is a culmination of Beam's entire career - an epitome of music that most writers strive for but never find. It comes just in time, right after Kiss Each Other's two weakest tracks, the Dave Matthews Band-esque "Big Burned Hand" and the melancholy ballad "Glad Man Singing." While these two tracks would take the reins on any other album, they don't quite summit the peak that the rest of Kiss Each Other's songs do: they have the oxygen to make it up K2, not Everest. At this point, most listeners might be ready to press "repeat," expecting the closer to be some sort of dulcet ballad like the two that closed Our Endless Numbered Days and The Shepherd's Dog. But no. Rest of this is at http://www.thetunemusic.com/2011/03/iron-wine-kiss-each-other-clean-2011.html :) Expand
  7. Sep 2, 2011
    9
    This is my favorite Iron and Wine album by far. I've been a fan from the beginning, even seeing them perform in tiny bars with leaking ceilings. I love this record not only because it has giant cajones, but because it is an uplifting and beautiful piece of work.
  8. Sep 1, 2015
    9
    Never understood what people didn't like about this album. It's beautiful and moving and feels so passionate. I for one loved it! It's not quite on par with Our Endless Numbered Days, but it is certainly one of my favorites from Iron & Wine. Don't listen to negatives. Listen for yourself.
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 37
  2. Negative: 0 out of 37
  1. Dec 7, 2011
    80
    Kiss Each Other Clean is the result of years of growth and change, and though that sounds incredibly boring, it's also a record full of roiling emotion, tender wit, and deeply felt melodic beauty.
  2. Mojo
    Apr 20, 2011
    40
    Fourth outing for the hirsute folk/pop alchemist. [Feb. 2011, p. 107]
  3. t may take a few albums for him to perfect the new sound, and we should expect that, keeping in mind that when he does, the results may very well be awe-inspiring. At the moment, however, Kiss Each Other Clean just isn't there yet.