The Creek Drank the Cradle

The Creek Drank the Cradle is the debut studio album by American musician Iron & Wine (aka Sam Beam). It was released on September 24, 2002. The vinyl LP release came with a bonus 7" vinyl single. The promo CD for this album was released in a cardboard sleeve with alternate artwork.

The Creek Drank the Cradle
Studio album by Iron & Wine
Released	September 24, 2002
Genre	Indie folk, lo-fi
Length	39:26
Label	Sub Pop
Producer	Iron & Wine
Iron & Wine chronology
The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002) The Sea & The Rhythm (2003)

Background

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 would provide a rhythm section on the finished piece. However the demos were released instead.[1]

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	87/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The Austin Chronicle	[4]
Drowned in Sound	8/10[5]
Pitchfork	8.1/10[6]
Q	[7]
Stylus Magazine	B+[8]
Tiny Mix Tapes	4.5/5[9]
Uncut	[10]

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".[2]

Pitchfork placed The Creek Drank the Cradle at number 137 on their list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s.[11] Tim Sendra of AllMusic called it "a stunning debut and one of the best records of 2002."[3]

Track listing

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

7" Vinyl Single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Her Tea Leaves"	3:50
2.	"Carissa's Wierd [sic][12]"	2:07
Total length:		5:57

References

1. http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/story.cfm?content=149568
2. "Reviews for The Creek Drank The Cradle by Iron & Wine". Metacritic. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
3. Sendra, Tim. "The Creek Drank the Cradle – Iron & Wine". AllMusic. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
4. Lynch, David (March 14, 2003). "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle (Sub Pop)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
5. Robertson, Neil (April 27, 2003). "Album Review: Iron & Wine – The Creek Drank The Cradle". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
6. Kearney, Ryan (October 1, 2002). "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
7. "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle". Q (200): 109. March 2003.
8. Martin, Tyler (September 1, 2003). "Iron and Wine – The Creek Drank the Cradle – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
9. Jean-Pierre. "Iron & Wine – The Creek Drank The Cradle". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
10. "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle". Uncut (66): 121. November 2002.
11. Pitchfork staff (September 28, 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 150–101". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
12. "Carissa Wierd". ironandwine.com. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2013.