Photo by Nilina Mason-CampbellIron and Wine released their debut album in 2002, which in a weird way makes Sam Beam the spiritual godfather of the all the wispy beardy-folk masses swarming the planet in 2009. In any case, Beam's now deep enough into his career that Iron and Wine have enough material for a double-CD rarities compilation. And his skyrocketing popularity (thanks in no small part to the inclusion of The Shepherd's Dog's "Flightless Bird, American Moth" on the Twilight soundtrack) means the demand for Iron and Wine music remains high.On May 19, Sub Pop will release Around the Well, a 2xCD/3xLP set divided between Beam's home recordings and full-band studio fare. Among the goodies: covers of the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights", New Order's "Love Vigilantes", and the Flaming Lips' "Waitin' for a Superman". Also in May, Iron and Wine will play a quick run of U.S. dates at some extremely small venues, and they're letting fans pick the set lists this time. On the band's website, you'll be able to vote for which songs you'd like to hear each night. And if you miss the shows, they'll be available for download soon after at the Played Last Night site. Democracy!read more