Archive for the ‘Bon Iver’ Category
Bon Iver – Blood Bank EP Review
Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago was one of last year’s most lauded releases. And rightly so! It was a heart-rending recording. Holed up in a cabin in wintry Wisconsin, Justin Vernon penned some of the loveliest misery-tinged, affecting folk songs of 2008, perhaps encouraging singer-songwriters to take to the woods and hibernate.
Currently touring Australia, Bon Iver is poised to release Blood Bank on Jagjaguwar on January 20. Featuring Vernon, Mike Noyce and Sean Carey, the four-song EP scratches at the door of For Emma. However, this is a lo-fi effort much more cinematic in nature, and at times very experimental. But it’s not so experimental that it’s unrecognizable – it does not venture too far from Vernon’s previous songwriting.
Acoustic guitar propels “Blood Bank”, accompanied by a solid kick drum posing as a heartbeat. It’s a song about “that secret that we know / that we don’t know how to tell”. Those familiar harmonies are especially powerful as Vernon sings, “I know it well”. Yes, by now we know this sound very well.
“Beach Baby” brought to mind a bright-eyed Neil Young or a stripped-down Elliott Smith. Written in ¾ time, and sung in an indistinct falsetto, it’s imitation country with a touch of blurry slide guitar.
An anxious top-register piano colours “Babys” with a drawn-out introduction – not something you’d want to listen to on repeat. But as the piano fades into the background, the song “grows more and more appealing”.
“Woods” is the most experimental of those included. Sounding much like my grandparents’ vintage organ, it features reedy vocals courtesy of a vocoder (the result sounds much like an oboe) and a chorus of enviable harmonies. It’s a variation on a theme, a meditation on “building a still to slow down the time”. Towards the end, it becomes almost gospel-induced.
A window into the heart of a sensitive poet, it’s just enough to tide fans over until the next major release.
Also check out Bon Iver’s charity t-shirt design, part of the Yellow Bird Project.
MP3:
Bon Iver – Blood Bank
Bon Iver – Beach Baby
Buy at:
Jagjaguwar / Amazon
Video after the jump
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AWmusic’s Top Songs of 2008 pt3: #26-50
Onto the top 50! These lists take long to do. To finish my list today or tomorrow hmmm. Again 10 word description limit.Previously:
Part 1 #76-100
Part 2 #51-75
Next in the series:
Part 4: #1-25
#26 Teen Creeps by No Age (myspace/live)
I’m feeling regretful of not including Nouns in my list.
#27 Eraser by No Age (video/live)
Can be #26 (tied), both are equally good.
#28 Feel The Love by Cut Copy (myspace/live)
“All the girls I’ve known are crying” Conceited but catchy.
#29 Bare Feet On Wet Grip Tape by Chad VanGaalen (myspace)
Soft Airplane’s most accessible song.
#30 God? By The Dodos (myspace)
“Oh God, where’d you go?” Agnosticism at its finest?
#31 Ottoman by Vampire Weekend (myspace)
At least we got this song from a shitty movie.
#32 Beat (Health, Life and Fire) by Thao Nguyen With The Get Down Stay Down (myspace/live)
Upon listening to this track, I’ve become a big fan.
#33 Heart of Chambers by Beach House (myspace/video)
My favorite song off Devotion.
#34 Dying Is Fine by Ra Ra Riot (myspace/video-ep version)
Sounds emo without reference to this poem.
#35 Hitten by Those Dancing Days (myspace/video)
All girl indie pop bands ftw.
#36 Let’s All Sleep Together by Team Genius (myspace)
Orgies ftw. (All girl orgies ftw?)
#37 For Emma by Bon Iver (myspace/live)
This song is simple but captures the atmosphere of loneliness.
#38 The Modern Leper by Frightened Rabbit (myspace/live)
“You must be a masochist, to love a modern leper”
#39 Rabid Bits of Time by Chad Van Gaalen
Beautifully sung.
#40 Winter ’05 by Ra Ra Riot
This song makes Winter depressing. Sad in general.
#41 Agoraphobia by Deerhunter (myspace)
“Cover me, comfort me” is stuck in my head.
#42 Skeleton Man by The Evangelicals (myspace/live)
“When someone loves you very much, you’re fucked”
#43 Why Do You You Let Me Stay Here? By She and Him (myspace/video)
Fuck you Ben Gibbard!…oh I meant congrats.
#44 Move by Cansei De Ser Sexy (myspace/video)
Another catchy CSS track.
#45 Another World by Antony and The Johnsons (myspace/video)
Antony apparently doesn’t think much of us. Still beautiful though.
#46 Uncalibrated by Bridges and Powerlines (myspace/video)
This song puts the power into powerpop.
#47 Shut Up And Let Me Go by The Ting Tings (myspace/video)
The Ting Tings are a guilty pleasure.
#48 Poison Dart by The Bug ft. Warrior Queen (myspace/video)
My introduction to The Bug. I was amazed.
#49 My Year in Lists by Los Campesinos (myspace/video)
“Send me stationery to make me horny” Mail-sex ftw?
#50 I Hate Dell by Oldfolks Home (myspace)
Dell pissed off the wrong guy.
AWmusic’s Top Songs of 2008 pt 2: #51-75
I forgot to mention that these top songs are still very personal opinions despite trying to take as many suggestions of the rest of the writers. I’m not sure how people will respond to the list, numbering isn’t quite as important as inclusion. I like taking suggestions as there will be millions of tracks I likely missed. As is the goal with this list, 10-limit descriptions included.
Previously:
#76-100
Next in the series:
Part 3: #26-50
Part 4: #1-25
Numbers #51-75:
#51 Creator by Santogold w/ Switch and Freq Nasty (myspace/video -unofficial was canceled?)
The intro is risky, brave and wildly effective.
#52 Crystal Stilts by Crystal Stilts (myspace)
A song should be good if it’s your band name.
#53 I Wish I Could Keep You by Little Pictures (myspace/live)
This song makes me wish I was a kid again.
#54 In The Kitchen by The Pomegranates (myspace/live -poor visual quality)
A song I want to play on the guitar.
#55 Never Miss A Beat by Kaiser Chiefs (homepage/video)
The kids on the street, are scary! Shiiet.
#56 Death To The Los Campesinos! By Los Campesinos! (myspace/video)
“I’ll be control-alt-deleting your face with no reservation”.
#57 Marry Me Annie by Matthew and The Arrogant Sea (myspace)
Hey Annie, I’m serious, MATAS is a great band.
#58 Whiite Fantaseee by Slim Twig (myspace)
How about an Asian fantaseee?
#59 Dance Dance Dance by Lykke Li (myspace/live with Bon Iver)
Lykke Li’s hips lie and she’s shy. I’m in love.
#60 Galaxy Of The Lost by Lightspeed Champion (myspace/video)
Emmy The Great makes this song gold. Weird video.
#61 Skinny Love by Bon Iver
Bon Iver should try BBW. Morbidly Obese Love anyone?
#62 Good Time by Brazilian Girls (myspace/video)
I just want to have a good time too.
#63 Can’t Shake It by Kate Miller-Heidke (myspace/video)
I can’t dance either though this song is danceable…
#64 New Soul by Yael Naim(homepage)
I’m a new ipod product with a new catchy song.
#65 Boneless by The Notwist (homepage)
Great song off a slightly disappointing album.
#66 Shadow Falls by Hello, Blue Roses (myspace/live)
Awesome duet, too bad they were bashed by Pitchfork.
#67 Get Better by Mates of State (myspace/video)
“Forget your politics for awhile”. 2008 was a tough year.
#68 Xavia by The Submarines (myspace)
The Submarines don’t let me down in this song.
#69 Home Sweet Home by Those Dancing Days (myspace/video)
A perfect holiday song.
#70 Not Your Savior by Peasant (myspace)
Peasant keeps it honest, leave him alone.
#71 Call It A Ritual by Wolf Parade (myspace)
I enjoy Spencer Krug’s metaphorical writing.
#72 Black Rice by Women (myspace/live)
Best Song that ends in a whimper.
#73 The Rip by Portishead (homepage/video)
Just beautiful.
#74 That’s Not My Name by The Tings Tings (myspace/video)
Wait..what is her name again?
#75 Gila by Beach House (myspace/live)
Giiiiiiiiillllllllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago Review
I heard about the the self-released For Emma, Forever Ago on some forums where the album was streamed. It was raved about, reviewed by P4K and picked up by Bon Iver’s is Justin Vernon’s stage name and he comes from Eau Claire, Wisconsin and recorded the album while trying to hibernate to be alone for a few months and came out with a recording. It’s cool when there are stories behind recordings rather then “we spent 4 weeks recording and we came up with this”.
Genre wise I guess you can fall Bon Iver folk or the cheap classification “singer-songwriter”. It’s also called neo-soul but I have no experience with that genre so I can’t just throw out b.s. Anyway, Bon Iver’s sound is of the softer acoustic variety and focuses a bit on his rather high vocals and interesting string instruments.
I don’t how much I would recommend this album. It’s a bit on the depressing side (fine a lot on the depressing side) but it’s not in your face emo…it’s just you probably will have struggle to start listening to it and then if it does capture you, there’s much below the surface to explore.
This album definitely has a strange vibe involved with or without knowing the circumstances it was recorded on. Most of the tracks I would deem as a beautiful sadness, because in a way it’s very depressing but there’s a level of understanding/acceptance that resonates to me while listening. My favorite line is “go find another another love to bring a, to string along”. The way it’s sung is probably the most important aspect. He switches from the rough-male voice I like interchangeable with the clean falsettos (which dominate most of the album). Sometimes I found lyrics inaudible with his voice and reading the lyrics let me pretty amazed and wanting to show a new appreciation for the work.
Lastly, instrumentally is where it reaches it’s peak with me. Just the way things are structured, it almost has a poppy feeling with repeated verses or other times it gives chills down my spine with the haunting noises on Lump Sum (a fear I probably would have being alone).
It’s a great album.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.
Here are my favorite songs:
Buy this album at Insound/CD Universe/Amazon
