For many people, the words “Iron & Wine” and “full band” do not compute. After all, doesn’t Iron & Wine work because of the stripped minimalism of Sam Beam’s hushed acoustic folk? Less is more, right?

Surprisingly, as it shakes off the purists and expands their sonic template, The Shepherd’s Dog ends up being Iron & Wine’s most arresting release. Sam Beam (and his new company) employ world textures and exotic rhythms to ascend their pastoral folk to new heights. And to everyone’s relief, it works. Songs like The Boy with the Coin with its flamenco handclaps and Wolves (Song of the Shepherd’s Dog) with its deep dub textures demonstrate this marriages unexpected success. Few of the songs dwell in the same template, unlike his early releases that would spend an entire album hitched to a single instrumentation. The Shepherd’s Dog is a rare album that both expands the artist’s boundaries while offering only good songs as well.