The Shepherd's Dog

"Shepherd's Dog" redirects here. For the actual canines, see shepherd dog and Old English Sheepdog.
The Shepherd's Dog
Studio album by Iron and Wine
Released September 25, 2007
Recorded Engine Studios; Sterling Sound
Genre Folk rock
Length 49:45
Label Sub Pop Records
Producer Brian Deck, Sam Beam
Iron and Wine chronology

In the Reins (EP) with Calexico
(2005)		 The Shepherd's Dog
(2007)		 Around the Well
(2009)

The Shepherd's Dog is the third full-length studio album by Iron & Wine, released on September 25, 2007. If bought at select retailers or if pre-ordered through Sub Pop, the album comes with a bonus disc featuring two unreleased tracks.[1] "Boy with a Coin" is the first single and was released on July 10, 2007 via Sub Pop, including the single edit of the song along with two other tracks.

The album debuted at number 24 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 32,000 copies in its first week.[2]

In 2008, "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" was used in the movie Twilight. The song was specifically chosen for the film's prom scene by Kristen Stewart, the female lead, and appears on the movie's soundtrack.

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [3]
Blender [4]
Paste [5]
Pitchfork Media (8.6/10.0)[6]
Q [7]
Rolling Stone [8]
Stylus Magazine B+[9]

The Shepherd's Dog was ranked at #10 in Paste's list of top albums of 2007.[10] "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car" was #86 on Rolling Stone‍ '​s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.[11] Pitchfork Media included the album in their Top 50 Albums of 2007 ranking it at number 36. "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" was a key track used in the 2008 film Twilight (film), part of the Twilight Saga. The song is closely associated to the successful movie franchise and an acoustic version of the song was also used in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1.

Track listing

  1. "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car" - 4:33
  2. "White Tooth Man" - 3:57
  3. "Lovesong of the Buzzard" - 4:26
  4. "Carousel" - 4:02
  5. "House by the Sea" - 4:22
  6. "Innocent Bones" - 3:43
  7. "Wolves (Song of the Shepherd's Dog)" - 4:57
  8. "Resurrection Fern" - 4:50
  9. "Boy with a Coin" - 4:06
  10. "The Devil Never Sleeps" - 2:07
  11. "Peace Beneath the City" - 4:45
  12. "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" - 4:03

Personnel

Bonus disc

  1. "Arms of a Thief" - 3:41
  2. "Serpent Charmer" - 2:40

Charts

Chart (2007) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 84
Belgian Alternative Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 43
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[13] 24
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 74
US Billboard 200[15] 24
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[16] 2
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[17] 7

References

  1. ↑ Iron & Wine ~ News
  2. ↑ Katie Hasty, "Rascal Flatts Races To No. 1 In Debut-Heavy Week", Billboard.com, October 3, 2007.
  3. ↑ The Shepherd's Dog at AllMusic
  4. ↑ Blender review
  5. ↑ Paste review
  6. ↑ Pitchfork Media review
  7. ↑ "The Shepherd's Dog". Q: 98. 2007-10-01.
  8. ↑ Rolling Stone review
  9. ↑ Stylus Magazine review
  10. ↑ Signs of Life 2007: Top 100 Albums of 2007", Paste, 38, December 2007/January 2008
  11. ↑ No byline (December 11, 2007). "The 100 Best Songs of 2007" Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-12-21
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Iron And Wine – The Shepherd's Dog" (in Dutch). Ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Iron And Wine – The Shepherd's Dog". Norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Iron & Wine". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Iron & Wine Album & Song Chart History" Billboard 200 for Iron & Wine. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Iron & Wine Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Independent Albums for Iron & Wine. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Iron & Wine Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top Rock Albums for Iron & Wine. Retrieved April 19, 2015.

External links