Yep, that’s right, Bon Iver is the next BIG THANG! Or so the hipsters would want you to think. But seriously, these guys are pretty fantastic (in a somber, wintry bone-chilling, heart-clenching kind of way). I stumbled on their music the other night by way of this post from Seth Godin’s (marketing guru) blog. I as blown away – 1 part Iron & Wine, 1 part Belle & Sebastian, 1 part acoustic Coldplay (don’t let this part dissuade you, all you indie lovers), and 1 part long, cold winter.
From what I’ve gathered, the lead singer (and writer of the music), Justin Vernon, retreated to the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin after the break-up of his band and the split between himself and his then girlfriend. There he spent 3 cold winter months in an isolated cabin, splitting his short days and long nights between chopping wood and writing beautiful music. His album, “For Emma, Forever Ago,” is the culmination of that long and lonely winter. (Bon Iver is a purposed misspelling of “bon hiver”, French for “good winter.”)
It is a wondrous album that chills the bones while warming the soul, reminiscent of the fire that warmed Vernon’s cabin through the bitter and cold nights of a Wisconsin winter. This is the kind of album that makes me want to write and write and write my heart out. A singer/songwriter of the finest kind.
If you are so inclined please check them out, and then buy their album.
SideNote: I have become a firm proponent for BUYING music and not just for moral reasons – what better way to show your appreciation for the makers of music than to purchase their music? I think we would all benefit from a paradigm shift – bands shouldn’t just make music so you can buy it and money is merely the transaction that enables the trade – we should view paying for music as a means of gratitude towards artists that truly are producing great art. And if the music is not great (and thus you aren’t paying for it and instead stealing it) – why are you listening to it at all?!
