Kiss Each Other Clean

Sam Beam’s first album for a major label, Kiss Each Other Clean, doubles down on the experimental gambles found on his last disc, 2007’s The Shepherd?s Dog. Over the course of 44 minutes, he tries out unexpected effects like whining guitar, mildly skronky horns, burbling electronics, and occasional profanities. Not all of the new sounds enhance Beam’s lovely melodies, but they rarely obscure those underlying charms, either. B+