Our Endless Numbered Days - Iron & Wine
User Score
9.2 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 37 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 37
  3. Negative: 0 out of 37

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  1. AndrewP
    May 9, 2007
    10
    Some of the best lyrics ever recorded, and the music complements them so well. Everything about this record is truly astouding.
  2. eriki
    Sep 26, 2005
    10
    perfect
  3. ScottC
    Jun 12, 2004
    10
    A masterpeice!
  4. LawrenceP
    Jul 4, 2004
    9
    Some of the most beautiful music of the decade. "if l leave before you, darling don't you waste me in the ground" Sam Beam.
  5. Tanya
    Jan 9, 2005
    10
    Amazing. Great for listening to while traveling on back roads while it's snowing.
  6. BarbaraMoore
    Jan 2, 2006
    10
    First heard Iron & Wine on the soundtrack of "In Good Company". I was mesmerized and have purchased and downloaded everything available. Each song is at least a 10.
  7. MihaiV
    Jan 4, 2007
    9
    Nobody makes music like this anymore.
  8. markh
    Dec 31, 2004
    10
    Beautiful. Peaceful. Lyrics that make you weep. Genius use of layering with elegant finger picking.
  9. BenjaminBunny
    Oct 31, 2004
    8
    Really quite lovely.
  10. KrisL
    Apr 21, 2004
    10
    Easily the best album this year. It is an album you can put on any time of day and it sounds just right.
  11. kateha!
    Aug 6, 2004
    9
    sodom south georgia is one of the best tunes i have heard in a long time. actually i like all of them . haha
  12. IsaacB
    Jan 4, 2005
    10
    Just bought it today. Really, the most beautiful music I have heard in quite a while. Sam's voice is intimate and touching.
  13. MattW
    Aug 20, 2005
    10
    Sam Beam is virtually undiscovered and that is a shame and blessing at the same time. For people like myself who get the opportunity to enjoy his music without pop america running it into the ground it's great. However It is only a matter of time before Sam is household and if I will do my part in enjoying process.
  14. Ernie
    Mar 22, 2004
    10
    As someone who was a huge fan of Beam's first album, I was a bit surprised that he pulled so far away from his original lo-fi production, which I was a huge fan of. I liked how it covered me like a warm blanket. In its place, however, Beam leaves some amazingly clear and memorable songs, most notably the excellent "Sunset Soon Forgotten" and "Sodom, South Georgia". The lyrics are 90% of the appeal on this album, whereas on Creek they were maybe 50%, and Beam's band is all the better for it. One does not need constant hiss clouding your ears to figure out this CD is easily the best of the year thus far, perfect for walking around city streets on warm Sunday afternoons.… Expand
  15. tylert.
    Mar 26, 2004
    10
    beauty
  16. timd
    Mar 26, 2004
    6
    Consistency is over rated, so is this album sorry. Some songs are luvly but it seems Beam is almost too comfortable in his format.
  17. JoshuaT
    May 18, 2004
    10
    If it's possible, I think Mr. Beam surpassed 2002's "The Creek Drank the Cradle." "Passing Afternoon" is his best song (IMO) to date.
  18. Tristram
    Feb 26, 2005
    4
    This disc really disappointed me. Along with Earlimart, Iron & Wine is getting better press than is deserved simply by sounding like Elliott Smith. And nothing here resonates like anything from the late Smith. Its all soft but characterless adult-alternative made for people that like the Thorns record. Try Rejoicing In the Hands by Devendra Banhart instead.
  19. KerimBlue
    Mar 25, 2012
    9
    At first, the album feels too slow, way too careless. The songs seem to have the same melody and just copy off one another. However, with further listening, they become some of the most beautiful songs written of the naughties. They make me want to lay out on a summer day and just look up at the sky, my ears hearing each word and instrument with great delight.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. E! Online
    83
    Has a few more production touches than his past crackling work.
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  2. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    This time around, Beam is less like some dungaree-wearing, O Brother, Where Art Thou? throwback, and more like the natural - and, frankly, wonderful - successor to the Elliott Smith and Nick Drake school of perfectly beautiful songwriting.
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  3. Pitchfork
    86
    Our Endless Numbered Days is cleaner, more diverse, and generally sparser than its predecessor, and, given the apparent limits of Beam's former setup, it's also an astoundingly progressive record: Beam has successfully transgressed his cultural pigeonhole without sacrificing any of his dusty allure.
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