The bygone version of Iron & Wine -- a ghostly troubadour -- would have been an entirely incongruent Saturday night Sound Academy booking (acoustic pucks and drunken punters don't mix particularly well). Conversely, the current incarnation of Sam Beam's band -- a rollicking mini-orchestra -- did a solid job of subduing and engaging a chattering crowd.
Given the confines, opener Marketa Irglova, of the Swell Season, didn't fare quite as well. Lately enlisted as a part-time Iron & Wine back-up singer, the Once star has a new collection of solo material to flaunt. Anchored by a Persian drum, rife with pretty vocal harmonies, and steered by Irglova's ethereal voice and keys -- think Emm Gryner with a hint of Czech -- the set was better suited to a theatre than a club. Still, crowd prattle didn't entirely stomp out the performance, despite its best efforts.
Out of the gate, Beam and co. -- filled out by a horn section, a pair of percussionists, back-up singers and a handful of miscellaneous compatriots -- scored big with mini-epic, "Rabbit Will Run." Channelling Colin Meloy, Beam has tremendous control over his atypical voice, and the track's mostly minimal guitar work let him show it off.
A jammy take on "God Made the Automobile" and the countrified "Lovesong of the Buzzard" were equally grand, evoking The Last Waltz, with a dash of G.E. Smith. Throughout, the dynamic band expanded their palette, blending in eerie backing vocals, flute bursts and a soaring clarinet.
Consistently big numbers played better than their mid-tempo counterparts. Hampered by an ambling start, "Wolves (Song of the Shepherd's Dog)" couldn't shake off its laid-back beginning. Judiciously, the outfit kept things mostly raucous. However, notable exception "Walking Far from Home" enjoyed the always-stirring sing-along treatment.
Beam was exceptional throughout, even if his stage banter fell prey to an under-volume mic. In his current guise as big band leader, he's assured and agile, and his literary lyrics, gave exciting arrangements bonus gravitas.
Given the confines, opener Marketa Irglova, of the Swell Season, didn't fare quite as well. Lately enlisted as a part-time Iron & Wine back-up singer, the Once star has a new collection of solo material to flaunt. Anchored by a Persian drum, rife with pretty vocal harmonies, and steered by Irglova's ethereal voice and keys -- think Emm Gryner with a hint of Czech -- the set was better suited to a theatre than a club. Still, crowd prattle didn't entirely stomp out the performance, despite its best efforts.
Out of the gate, Beam and co. -- filled out by a horn section, a pair of percussionists, back-up singers and a handful of miscellaneous compatriots -- scored big with mini-epic, "Rabbit Will Run." Channelling Colin Meloy, Beam has tremendous control over his atypical voice, and the track's mostly minimal guitar work let him show it off.
A jammy take on "God Made the Automobile" and the countrified "Lovesong of the Buzzard" were equally grand, evoking The Last Waltz, with a dash of G.E. Smith. Throughout, the dynamic band expanded their palette, blending in eerie backing vocals, flute bursts and a soaring clarinet.
Consistently big numbers played better than their mid-tempo counterparts. Hampered by an ambling start, "Wolves (Song of the Shepherd's Dog)" couldn't shake off its laid-back beginning. Judiciously, the outfit kept things mostly raucous. However, notable exception "Walking Far from Home" enjoyed the always-stirring sing-along treatment.
Beam was exceptional throughout, even if his stage banter fell prey to an under-volume mic. In his current guise as big band leader, he's assured and agile, and his literary lyrics, gave exciting arrangements bonus gravitas.