Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Much ado has been made about Justin Vernon’s sophomore release from his flagship project “Bon Iver.” We were awed and struck by the heartbreaking sincerity and rustic, dark charm of For Emma, Forever Ago. He then whet an already voracious thirst for more by releasing Blood Bank—allegedly from the same cold, snowbound cabin in Wisconsin, a very sad and ill Justin Vernon retreated to record For Emma. We want more. We’ve got it and everyone is asking…Justin, do you need a hug?
Sense of “place” is clearly a very integral part of Vernon’s songwriting and the theme of every release under Bon Iver. Bon Iver’s self-titled affair is no different. From the ethereal and strangely melancholy “Michicant,” to the thick and boisterous single “Calgary,” even the cover of the album evokes both a wild sense of fantasy on the part of where this beautiful locale could be, and the strangeness and alien nature of the scene, as if the place exists only as a painted, fantastic cartoon landscape.
The self titled release begins with a pushed, clean electric sound on “Perth” adding horns and what sounds to be war-crying drums and Vernon’s familiar, swooning falsetto. Intricate string sounds dot the sonic landscape eliciting a more lively eclectic feel than the somber folk we are familiar with from For Emma and Blood Bank. More lively, yes, but the same, strangely alienated feelings. Echos and sound delays recall a cinematic, Jon Brion type feel, but with more grandeur. To compare the two releases would be like comparing a fear of enclosed spaces (For Emma) to a fear of wide open spaces (Bon Iver).
And almost as soon as it begins, it ends with “Beth/Rest,” an 80’s synth Peter Gabriel worldly masterpiece, like a distant transmission from a far away place. We miss you, Justin. Come back soon.
-Hollis Webb
Best of 2009 (so far)
Yes, I know Paste Magazine did this already, but I wanted to put my 2 cents in.
Haunting and beautiful and a graduated step up from For Emma. The question now remains: where to go from here? Eventually, the economy will get better and we as a listening public will not want to listen to music that makes us want to hide under the covers and sleep all day.
Beginning to end a superb album. Does a slowed and almost “hula” version of Buddy Holly’s “Rave On,” and the single “Never Had Nobody Like You” is a worth the cost of the entire record (if we still lived in a time where you had to buy the whole CD to get one song).
Elvis Perkins - Elvis Perkins in Dearland
Sounds like the same vein as M. Ward (perhaps if you had another M. Ward from a different part of the country—perhaps “Bizarro M. Ward?”). There’s not much to say other than you will find this record on a lot of folks’ end of year best of lists. This is my dark horse contender.
Another consistent and solid offering from Chicago. Even when they aren’t innovating the sound of folk or alt country, they still hit it out of the park with unbelievable songwriting and genius and lush arrangements.
A nice mashup and collaboration of a lot of popular indie artists. I particularly like the Bon Iver and the Ben Gibbard/Feist collaboration. Oh yeah, it’s also for charity. That too.
Sunday Sounds - Bon Iver’s Blood Bank
I don’t mean to kill a surprise, but I will be listing this EP in my “Best of 2009 So Far” list this week (yes, I know Paste Magazine did this). For the first Sunday Sounds post, I present Blood Bank by Bon Iver. Enjoy.
