The Oscar for Best Original Screenplay will go to The Grand Budapest Hotel, and I’m not even mad. Wes Anderson deserves the statue. The Grand Budapest Hotel is delightful, quirky, and sophisticated—the screenplay is full of one-liners and dialogue that showcases Anderson’s skill with carefully crafting humor. The best lines are given to suave concierge M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), who saunters around the screen fastidiously deadpanning lines like “I go bed with all my friends.” This is Anderson’s third nomination in the category, and the film’s comic strengths are likely to be appreciated and rewarded by the Academy. Boyhood and Birdman both have a chance, but Boyhood reads like a collaborative improvisation rather than a script, and Birdman, while witty, suffers at times from clunky dialogue. However, I would note that Selma, which was snubbed, had the best original screenplay in theaters this year. Selma’s dialogue is heartfelt and poignant, and Selma director Ava DuVernay wrote every speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. in the film—a feat that deserved recognition.

“My pleasure!” That’s the response to a ‘thank you’ at every Chick-fil-A restaurant in America. If they forget to say it, the meal is free. Legend has it that Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy was inspired by the service he received at a luxury hotel and decided to bring true Southern hospitality to the fast food industry. Chick-fil-A franchises are spotlessly clean, waiters carry wipes and mints, and the food is excellent. There’s a serious contingent of people who swear that Chick-fil-A waffle fries are better than McDonald’s standard fry. Chick-fil-A’s advertising features cows with signs that say EAT MOAR CHIKIN, and people do. Today, the privately owned company has over 1,700 restaurants in the United States with annual sales of over $4.6 billion, and is looking to expand globally.

In 2012, Chick-fil-A’s anti-gay stance came into the spotlight. Watchdog websites showed that in 2010, Chick-fil-A gave over $8 million to the WinShape Foundation, a charity run by the Cathy family. Since 2003, WinShape has given over $5 million to anti-gay organizations, such as Exodus International, which supports ex-gay conversion therapy. In June 2012, Chick-fil-A Chief Operating Officer Dan Cathy said in an interview, “I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.’” Cue protests and kiss-ins at Chick-fil-A restaurants around the country, often with signs that read “Your chicken sandwich comes with a side of homophobia.” When the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, Cathy tweeted, “Sad day for our nation; founding fathers would be ashamed of our gen. to abandon wisdom of the ages re: cornerstone of strong societies.” The tweet was subsequently deleted.

From the response to Cathy’s comments, anyone would think that Chick-fil-A’s religious and political affiliations had been kept under wraps, but that’s not quite the case. The first thing you see on any Chick-fil-A sign after the logo are the words “closed Sunday.” It’s headquartered in Atlanta, and the Cathy family has never attempted to be anything but explicit about their particular brand of Southern Baptist conservatism. But the backlash was extensive. The mayors of Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco claimed they would not allow franchises to open in their city unless Cathy issued an apology. “Closest #ChickFilA to San Francisco is 40 miles away & I strongly recommend that they not try to come any closer,” tweeted San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee. Nevertheless, Chick-fil-A experienced a strong show of public support and reported record-breaking sales in August 2012, partly aided by a Facebook campaign spearheaded by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

The statements from the mayors had critics on the left as well, who citied First Amendment violations. As long as a business itself does not violate rights, should we determine whether or not they get a license based on the CEO’s personal opinions? Do we actually care about a CEO’s personal opinions or only about the quality of the product?

Chick-fil-A has caused the most news lately because of the recent controversy over gay marriage. The majority of my friends have stopped eating there, driven either by political activism or guilt. “I don’t eat Chick-fil-A. I was definitely turned off by their political donations and how unapologetic they were,” said a friend from high school I’ll call Joshua, a current Stanford senior, who came out shortly before the Chick-fil-A saga. Chick-fil-A catered most of our high school events from a franchise owned by a student’s mother. He added, “That being said, I do shop at stores that have unsavory political affiliations, like Urban Outfitters. But if Urban decided to be more vocal, then I might change my mind.” Urban Outfitters, which sells clothing to young, liberal, would-be-hipsters of America, is owned by Richard Hayne, who has given more than $13,000 to Rick Santorum and other far right candidates.

Joshua’s admission that he cared about how vocal a company was, rather than what they actually fund, surprised me. Whether Urban Outfitters and Chick-fil-A are vocal or not, doesn’t the money go to the same place? The purchase of a chicken sandwich or oversized sweater still contributes to Exodus International or Rick Santorum. But until Hayne starts tweeting support for Santorum’s policies, Joshua will keep shopping there, along with those who truly are ignorant of Hayne’s views. They will also keep shopping at other places that are whisper-quiet about their practices and donations. For example, most people don’t know that Gap has faced sweatshop labor violations for employing eight-year-olds and that Target was accused in 2010 of supporting vocally anti-gay rights Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer.

Forever21, another retailer of clothing to the secular, Obama-voting, twenty-something crowd, is owned by the Chang family, who are fundamentalist Christians. The shopping bags all have “John 3:16” stamped on the bottom. The first time I visited a Forever21 was when the store opened in North Carolina, and I thought it was a serial number. “No,” my sister said after five seconds of Googling. “It means ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’” A bag of miniskirts and stilettoes now comes with the core tenets of Christianity at no extra charge.

***

Some products are substitutable. A life without Forever21, Urban Outfitters, and Chick-fil-A sweet tea doesn’t seem too bad at first. Is the solution to shop at innocuous department stores like Macy’s? Unfortunately, no, because it turns out that Macy’s pressured Rick Perry to veto a Texas equal pay bill in August 2013. “The way the economy is structured and how firm ownership works in this country, it’s impossible to prevent someone with views you find abhorrent from profiting off of your purchases,” said a Yale friend (I’ll call him Alex) when I asked his opinion on voting with your wallet. Alex, who is gay, has eaten at Chick-fil-A even after Cathy’s statements about gay marriage. “For example,” he added, “The Koch brothers own like all the companies whose products I use regularly.”

The Koch Industries conglomerate’s annual revenues are around a $100 billion, making Charles and David Koch two of America’s richest men. Their products include Dixie cups, Brawny paper towels, Lycra, and Stainmaster carpet. The Koch brothers are passionate libertarians. In the past several years, they have donated more money to organizations fighting climate change legislation than ExxonMobil. While they stay away from broadcasting their views via social media, tax records show that the political spending of the Charles G. Koch foundation was more than $48 million between 1998 and 2008. Recently, the Koch funding of anti-Obama initiatives has become so widespread that it’s gained the term ‘Kochtopus.’

The liberal mayors of San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston that took stands against Chick-fil-A in their cities presumably believe in climate change legislation, equal pay, and health care reform. However, they haven’t threatened to pull Brawny paper towels from grocery store shelves. And that’s the insidiousness of the Kochtopus and its tentacles. What is the American consumer going to do in a world without Dixie cups, Lycra, Stainmaster carpet, and, for that matter, Gap, Urban Outfitters, Macy’s, Target, Forever21, and chicken sandwiches? And those are just the ones we know about right now. “At the end of the day, making an example of Chick-fil-A is symbolic,” Alex concluded. “I would only avoid eating there on days where people go to support them taking a stance against gay rights.”

***

Last November, Chik-fil-A came to Wallingford, Conn., and made a grand appearance at a YCC study break in Bass Library soon after. The YCC event was met with literally hundreds of students vying—and at times, physically fighting with each other—to get their hands on biscuits and chicken. No one seemed to think twice about the company’s businesses history. No one mentioned that a few months earlier, Chick-fil-A caved to public pressure and released a statement: “Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.” But for a consumer wanting to vote with a wallet, the line between political arena and chicken sandwich has been irrevocably blurred.

As you may have learned from reports in the media, one of the doctoral students who returned recently from a research mission to Liberia was hospitalized in isolation on Wednesday night after developing a low-grade fever.” That’s how an Oct. 16 email from President Peter Salovey, GRD ’86, to the Yale community began, and with it came a deluge of headlines and frantic calls from home. The Ebola virus, many assumed, had arrived in New Haven.

As Salovey noted, reports in the media had taken off hours before his email, turning Twitter and Facebook into an Ebola-related frenzy with stories speculating on the case of a Yale student, later revealed to be Ryan Boyko, GRD ’18. Later that day, Salovey emailed again: Boyko had tested negative for Ebola. More headlines, and phone calls—this time, relief.

Boyko and one other doctoral student are still under quarantine, as are six others in Connecticut. Each has tested negative for the disease, yet a lingering confusion remains about how to best handle Ebola—who is in charge, what’s happening behind closed doors, or in quarantine rooms? With confusion comes panic, likely communicated through texts from many concerned moms and warnings about hand washing. The questions, then, are what we should know and how scared we should be.

***

Ebola isn’t new: the virus was first discovered in West Africa in 1976. But the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the current outbreak is the largest and most complex one that has ever occurred. There are currently over 10,000 cases of the Ebola virus worldwide, and over 4,500 deaths since March 2014, when the outbreak began in Guinea. Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia have been most affected, with counts of cases and deaths in the thousands. “Ebola is an opportunistic threat,” said Kristina Talbert-Slagle, senior scientific officer for the Yale Global Health Leadership Institute. “It spreads throughout the war-torn countries of West Africa in large part because they have weakened health systems and infrastructures that cannot stop the spread of this deadly virus.”

By contrast, the United States has had 4 cases so far and only 1 death. The U.S. boasts multiple infrastructural advantages that, theoretically, should help counter Ebola. Nevertheless, some are concerned that we are not well-equipped to handle a potential outbreak. For example, President Barack Obama has not nominated a Surgeon General that Republicans will confirm, creating a leadership void that makes it effectively impossible to coordinate an appropriate medical response.

Dr. Richard Skolnik, BR ’72, who teaches at the Yale School of Public Health and wrote Global Health 101, a widely-used global health textbook, emphasized that leadership and preparation are essential to combating Ebola and are sadly lacking. Skolnik noted in a letter to the Washington Post on Oct. 15 that the U.S. lacks a comprehensive plan to handle Ebola currently. In an email to the Herald, he wrote, “Politicians are likely to seize on Ebola and the mistakes we have made so far, politicize the problem, and lead us in a variety of uncoordinated and technically unsound directions.”

In light of this mismanagement on a national level, individual states have made their own quarantine polices. Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy attempted to articulate his plan of attack in response to Ebola in a press release on Oct. 16. Malloy’s plan calls for the creation of a Unified Command Team (UCT) to coordinate the state’s emergency management and communicate with the public. Moreover, Malloy explained that, “Connecticut hospitals have a heightened level of awareness for detecting a patient with Ebola, given the level of cooperation we have received in preparing.” Dana Manarne, director of public relations and communications for the Yale-New Haven Health System, agreed. “Yale-New Haven Hospital employs protection measures even greater than those recommended by the CDC,” she said.

Despite these precautions, Boyko, the Yale graduate student quarantined after displaying Ebola-like symptoms, characterized his quarantine experience at Yale-New Haven Hospital as isolating, and marked with “miscommunication” and a lack of clarity between the state and local officials, he said in an interview with The Rachel Maddow Show on Oct. 27.

Boyko has been subjected to a mandatory 21-day quarantine, which was imposed statewide for any individuals who have traveled to Ebola-infected areas on Oct. 16,when Boyko first arrived at Yale-New Haven Hospital. New York and New Jersey had also imposed 21-day quarantines, but after being widely criticized as a politically motivated to assuage public fear, rather than based on scientific expertise, both of the states rescinded the orders.

“The 21-day quarantine for people without symptoms is not something that the public health, scientific, or scholarly community supports,” said Elizabeth Bradley, EPH ’96, director of the Yale Global Health Initiative and master of Branford College. The CDC recommends only quarantining those at high-risk, and Obama administration officials have expressed concerns that mandatory 21-day quarantines will deter health workers from traveling to Ebola-affected parts, where they’re needed the most. According to Bradley, that brings us to the main question that educators and officials must address: “How do you educate people without creating so much fear that the fear is what’s creating policies?”

***

Media coverage of the ebola crisis has been criticized in two ways—first, for perpetuating historic stereotypes about Africa as homogeneous and dangerous, and second, for publicizing news that does not educate the public.

President Salovey’s original email on Oct. 16 stated in its final paragraph, “I feel that I should directly address the question of why our Public Health students—or why anyone affiliated with Yale—would even consider traveling to these dangerous parts of the world.” Salovey then discussed the importance of Yale sending clinicians and other experts to parts of the world affected by Ebola, but to some students, his message seemed paternalistic.

Esther Soma, JE ’16, president of the Yale African Students Association (YASA), told me the email was deeply disturbing. “It took me a while to process and articulate exactly why I was upset,” she said. “I realized it was because I felt alienated. When Salovey asks why ‘anyone affiliated with Yale’ would go to these places—well, it’s because these are homes for some members of the Yale community. That statement took away from the diversity of the Yale community. I’m part of that, and so are some of my friends from these ‘dangerous parts.’”

The idea that Salovey’s email ignored the role of familial ties from the Yale community was echoed by Maya Binyam, BR ’15, in an op-ed for the Yale Daily News on Thurs., Oct. 16. When asked how Salovey could have worded the statement differently, she said, “basically, Salovey anticipating the questions people might ask was not the right gesture,” she told me. “I think instead of generalizing, he could have very specifically talked about the students who were there.”

President Salovey responded to these concerns in an email to the Herald. “I do apologize if it struck some readers that way. My intent was the opposite—to say we had an obligation to share our expertise when we could (rather than refuse to be involved),” he wrote.

The main takeaway here is how we frame discussions about Ebola matters. “There are definitely people who know what’s going on,” Soma said, “But others just get their exposure from the media, which is not necessarily telling the whole story. It’s providing one narrative, when there are so many other counter narratives there to understand.” Soma described instances where she and members of YASA have spoken to organization leaders to change how Ebola-awareness events are framed—for example, through moving discussions away from generalizations about Africa towards Ebola as a specific problem in three African countries. For those trying to seek out information on Ebola, the mainstream media may not be a good resource. Yaa Ampofo, ES ’16, president of the Yale Undergraduate Association for African Peace and Development (YAAPD) described the news coverage as “[driving] people into a frenzy, rather than educating.”

Binyam added that she’s noticed a “frightening light-heartedness” coupled with “grating anxiety” from students. Frightening lightheartedness comes through in Ebola Halloween costumes and Ebola jokes in dining halls, as if snide comments will make Ebola vanish. Grating anxiety manifests itself in different ways—through a deluge of Overheard at Yale posts on Facebook describing panicked reactions, to daily New York Times coverage, to calls from home about washing your hands more. Meanwhile, as of the publication of this article, if you Google “Ebola,” it takes until page three to find proof that cases of Ebola exist anywhere outside the United States.

***

Given the media’s frenzy and panic, Yale must ask what its role is in dispelling the rumors and offering more accurate information. The question is, how? What kind of obligation does Yale have to address Ebola? Primarily, with its resources, Yale stands to contribute through providing education and furthering research. Yale created an Ebola Task Force on Oct. 3, headed by Bradley, with the goal of increasing education and awareness through seminars. “The task force’s goal is not to shape Yale policy,” Bradley said. “Our mission is to educate the population about what’s going on and be the voice of evidence.”

Bradley and Talbert-Slagle agreed that the Global Health community plays an important role in promoting student and faculty engagement in issues surrounding Ebola. “This is done by disseminating knowledge about Ebola and its spread, facilitating donations via Yale Relief for Ebola efforts, and convening student and faculty conversations about Ebola and what it means,” said Bradley. Talbert-Slagle added, “We can contribute research findings about Ebola, specifically, as well as infection control and health systems strengthening more generally.”

All the students and faculty members interviewed agreed that Yale’s intentions are good, but that the University isn’t counteracting the harm done when students are inundated with sensational media coverage and poorly framed messages. Message and language are paramount in understanding this global health crisis. Soma pointed this out, and the importance of including the human element of the disease in conversation. “How do we humanize people?” Soma asked. “I feel like there’s been a lot of detachment from the victims of Ebola. Let’s just remember there are people behind this,” she concluded, “Not just numbers.”

It’s easy to forget this, given how the mainstream media has buried it beneath layers of stigma and exaggeration. Ideally, programs like Yale’s Task Force can start to gradually undo this and begin to replace stigma with science.

-Graphics by Julia Kittle-Kamp

Who we’re loving: everyone who wrote us Herald love lines…even if it was only because we shamelessly requested them.

What we’re perfecting: our personal brand. 

What we’re eating: Ice Breakers Sours, but only from the “Not to Share” side of the box.

What we’re listening to: “Drunk in Love” when we’re happy, and the soulful Irish/Latin crooning of Enya when we’re sad.

Who we’re lunching with: President Salovey, on Valentine’s Day, in the flu shot room in Woolsey. The YDN may be coming too, but #TYHFFE.

Bill Condon’s The Fifth Estate attempts and fails to be a thrilling, fast-paced investigative film examining high-stakes information leaks. Julian Assange and the ongoing WikiLeaks saga is dramatic enough to be movie material and engaging enough to raise complicated moral and intellectual issues about secrecy in the 21st century, but Condon’s direction ultimately fails to engage the viewer.

The film begins with Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) recruiting computer whiz Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Bruhl) to help run WikiLeaks, a watchdog website exposing organizational secrets. From the beginning, Condon tries too hard to emulate The Social Network, using every possible tactic to remind us that developing the tech world is just so cool. As Assange and Domscheit-Berg gain global prominence and notoriety, the film jumps dizzyingly from city to city and party to party, with newspaper headlines and streams of code flashing across the screen. If you’ve seen The Social Network, you can also predict where the relationship between socially inept genius and enamored sidekick is headed from the first 10 minutes. The moral issues surrounding the leaking of U.S. diplomatic cables that eventually divide Assange and Domscheit-Berg could be engrossing, but the relationship’s formulaic predictability makes it hard to care, particularly when Domscheit-Berg resorts to tirades about Assange insulting him on Twitter.

If Condon had been willing to leave The Social Network tropes behind, this film could have been successful. Some of the film’s most engaging scenes feature Peter Capaldi as the editor of The Guardian and Laura Linney as a State Department official, both of whom grapple with the changing nature of their jobs as WikiLeaks develops. And overall, Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Assange is the strongest part of the film. He toes the line perfectly between morally bankrupt outcast and passionate freedom fighter, and by the end, gives the viewer a better idea of WikiLeaks’ ambiguous ethics than Condon can with the film’s clichéd relationships and plot.

Everyone has a library story. Some of them are horror stories, like when you woke up in the Trumbull library during reading week or stared down judgmental hipsters in Haas. Some stories are academic victories, some are romances in the stacks, and sometimes you say Box when you mean Bass (or vice versa). My library story is pretty simple. Freshman year, I decided I was going to study (or “study,” rather) in each Yale library at least once. After visiting eight different libraries and a trek to the Divinity School, I gave up and settled down in Sterling Memorial Library, which back then was more of a cathedral and less of a maze.

But from the widest-eyed freshman to the most seasoned tour guide, we all have our stories about Sterling, which itself is filled with stories (approximately 4 million physical volumes, in fact). In our cover this week, Sophie Grais, SM ’14, investigates the library’s yearlong renovation and restoration processes, while also taking a closer look at Sterling’s digitization programs and the role of libraries in the future.

However, Sterling isn’t the only new game in town. From new restaurants on Broadway to tons of new professors (holla, Political Science Department!), Yale is using 300 years of practice to keep things fresh, and likewise, the Yale Herald this week is chock full of exciting discoveries. In Features, A. Grace Steig, SM ’15, looks at Alzheimer’s research and activism in light of a groundbreaking study by Yale neuroscientists. We have culture pieces on Yale’s exchange students, student brand ambassadors, and a hot web series developed and produced by alumni. In Reviews, Aaron Gertler, TD ’15, looks at Janelle Monáe’s new album and Lucas Sin, DC ’15, takes on the cannoli truck. And in Opinion, Allison Mandeville, JE ’15, brings in an important perspective on the Syrian refugee crisis. There’s something for everyone—and unlike Sterling right now, it’s easy to find what you’re looking for.

So whether picking up this paper was your fresh discovery today or if you’re an old friend of the Yale Herald, sit down, take a break, and read. You can also check us out online and hang with our friends at the Bullblog. We’re excited to have you, no renovations needed.

Herald love,

Alisha Jarwala

Features editor

“I have a confession to make—I went to Harvard,” said New Haven mayoral candidate Henry Fernandez, LAW ’93. Amid chuckles from the full auditorium in Linsly-Chittenden Hall, Fernandez went on to outline his educational background and his track record of non-profit support and community mobilization. The five candidates in Saturday’s mayoral debate, sponsored by the Yale College Democrats, tried to strike a balance between issues relevant to Yale students and citywide initiatives.

The candidates themselves are mixed in background and experience. Justin Elicker is a second-term Ward 10 Alderman and environmental consultant. Ferndandez has experience as the former New Haven Economic Development Administrator. Gary Holder-Winfield, a state representative from the New Haven-Hamden district since 2008, has pushed for legislation to abolish the death penalty and reform campaign finance statutes. Matthew Nemerson, former president of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, points to his 30-plus years of experience working for the city. Sundiata Keitazulu is a plumber from Newhallville who strove to focus Saturday’s conversation on job creation.

In their opening remarks, candidates spoke to their experience and laid out broad visions for the future of the city. Elicker reminded students that “New Haven is a promise that has been granted, and granted well over the centuries.” He said that as mayor he would restore that promise. Holder-Winfield, Fernandez, and Keitazulu each emphasized the mayor’s duty to provide opportunities for New Haven youth, while Nemerson focused on his past experience of working at the state level to bring innovation to the city.

When asked about job creation, Nemerson told the crowd that New Haven needs to increase construction and manufacturing. “We should be the center of the manufacturing community,” he said. “We used to be, and we’ve lost it to other areas.”

“The nature of work is changing,” Fernandez added. “That’s why education initiatives like Gateway Community College are so important.” Keitazulu said he wants to open more vocational training schools. Elicker offered the boldest promise of the day: to bring 10,001 jobs to New Haven.

On the topics of community policing, immigration, and education reform, the candidates echoed similar platforms. All five said they support driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants; all believe that the town-gown relationship is crucially important; and all agree on the need for new programs to keep kids off the street. “I had to fight for my education,” Holder-Winfield said, “and I don’t want education to be a fight.”

The one area over which the candidates seriously clashed was campaign financing. Holder-Winfield, who strongly supports the New Haven Democracy Fund’s public financing system, advocated “getting the money out of politics.” Fernandez, on the other hand, has opted out of the public finance system. “I mean, I’m comparing myself to Obama here,” Fernandez said, “and he isn’t controlled by big interests, is he?” Fernandez’s appeal to the crowd was met with jeers. Members of the audience also voiced disapproval of Nemerson’s claim that “it doesn’t matter where our money comes from.”

In their closing statements, most of the candidates made a plug for students to get involved. All five optimistically concluded that New Haven has potential for growth.

Nicole Hobbs ES ’15, president of the Yale College Democrats, said that the outcome of the Democratic primary will depend on the candidates’ abilities to appeal to different areas of New Haven. “We’re a really diverse city,” she said. “Rep. Holder-Winfield is from one area and Alderman Elicker knows another part really well, and the challenge will be for the different candidates to reach out. But we’re excited to see it.” The Dems will not endorse a candidate in the primary, which will be held on Sept. 10.

Since releasing his debut LP The Creek Drank the Cradle in 2002, Sam Beam of Iron and Wine has used crooning vocals and an acoustic guitar to express themes of heartbreak and melancholy. With Ghost on Ghost, his latest release, Beam presses forward, moving toward cleaner, polished songs without losing that sense of intimacy. Despite introducing pianos, saxophones, drums, and cooing background singers to his previously more unadorned sound, Beam never strays from the focus: the wistful whisper of his voice, and his poignant, heartfelt lyrics.

In “Lover’s Revolution,” a full-out jazz ensemble interrupts the track; all the while, Beam’s lyrics reveal suppressed anger about a tumultuous relationship. (“All the fingers that we damaged when all we wanted was a diamond ring”). It’s clear that this is a new musical direction—in some ways, Beam is paying tribute to the good old days of 70s pop. Showstopper track “Grace for Saints and Ramblers” recalls a Beatles’ rambling love tune, and “Winter Prayers” echoes Simon & Garfunkel. However, by alternating between tense and languid lyrics, Beam makes it work. In fact, those who might miss the soft, folksy spins through rural America found on Beams’ earlier work won’t be disappointed —“Caught in the Briars” conjures up summer in South Carolina, a lyrical conceit that arises throughout the album, and “Winter Prayers” transports listeners to desolate Wisconsin.

Even more, with songs like “Joy,” Beam revives familiar sounds: the comforting croon of his voice with sparse background instrumentals. The similarly structured finale, “Baby Center Stage,” calls Beam’s old hit “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” to mind, commenting on love and loss. Iron and Wine has always created intensely personal listening experiences, and Ghost on Ghost beautifully follows that trend. Of course, instead of just the listener and Beam, it becomes the listener, Beam, and his growing collection of instruments—but, fortunately, Ghost on Ghost never feels crowded.