Archive for the 'bon iver' Category

Bon Iver - Blood Bank

In this day and age when some artists have all but disappeared {Sufjan Stevens}, others continue to put out new albums that are, well, below par {Weezer, The Killers}, and yet others are on possible permanent hiatus {The Strokes}, it can be hard at times to be excited for new music. In fact it can be hard to be excited for music in general.

Fortunately for us all, in this modern desert economy, there exists one bright and shining star that has to date put out two brilliant slices of music for our enjoyment. The second album by Bon Iver, aka Justin Vernon, is an EP that has four songs that are each unique pieces of intricate craft work. After his debut album it was apparent that Bon Iver had some serious talent behind the music and this album, Blood Bank (amazon) (itunes), literally raises the bar to a ridiculously height. I wouldn’t be surprised if this EP made it into best of the year lists this time around.

mp3 : Bon Iver - Blood Bank
mp3 : Bon Iver - Babys

The title track, Blood Bank, sounds pretty much like what I expected from a Bon Iver album. What caught me totally by surprise were the three other tracks on the disc. I personally am going to say that Babys is influenced heavily by the sound of Sufjan Stevens and the closing track on the four track EP, Woods, could easily have been recorded with Imogen Heap {and all the vocoder goodness that goes along with that}. This is easily one of the best EPs I have heard in a long time.

+ twf hype elbows site myspace amazonmp3 itunes
add this post to del.icio.us / digg / facebook

Bon Iver

For Emma Forever Ago (amazon) (itunes), the first full length effort from Bon Iver, grabs hold of your mind with a subtle intimacy that is both comforting and quietly desperate. From the opening seconds of the first track Flume there exists a haunting quality to this album that remains mysteriously intangible after repeated listens. This album deserves as much praise for what is apparent as for what is consciously left out. While some acts bring a cornucopia of production and layers to their music Bon Iver instead relies on a minimalist nature which lets the beauty of the art shine through.

mp3 : Bon Iver - Flume
mp3 : Bon Iver - Skinny Love

This album will not be for everyone. It will be too slow and too teasing for some, but for the rest of us it will be the closest we ever come to hearing songs from a post physical world. Songs that reach out from someplace barely imagined yet entirely recognizable. Songs from our past that speak kindly of our future. Songs that you can listen to time and time again.

+ twf hype elbows site myspace amazonmp3 itunes
add this post to del.icio.us / digg / facebook