#37 - Bon Iver- Bon Iver

Bon Iver - Bon Iver

Jagjaguar, 2011

“What’s Justin Vernon going to do once he leaves the cabin?” I wondered. I was an early adopter of For Emma, Forever Ago and that album hit me at just the right time (read: amidst a year of pure heartbreak). I wasn’t shocked when its eponymous follow-up hit me at just the right time (read: falling in love with my soulmate) yet again. “Blood Bank” led me to believe that Vernon’s songwriting might become more direct, but no, he went the Loveless route of essentially using words as another instrument. I still love this album, but not as much as I did in 2011 when Jenny and I would just lay in my bed and listen to it all the way through. There’s nothing more romantic than a big, ethereal track like “Holocene.” Or the 80s synths and the emotional intensity of the epic closer “Beth, Rest.” Moreover, even though the lyrics are frequently nonsensical, designed more as evocative wordscapes than meant to tell you something, the melodies are outstanding all the way through. Vernon only got more out there as the decade wore on, and while 22, A Million and i, i are both great records, I don’t think either of them can touch this one. Part of that is by virtue of this one having such a strong nostalgic and emotional pull, but it is what it is.

Land of Talk - "Speak to Me Bones" 7"

Land of Talk – “Speak to Me Bones”/"Death By Fire" 7”

Label Fandango, 2007

Acquired: Half Price books, Used, 2013

Price: $1

 

I thought this was some dirgey indie rock until I realized Land of Talk’s singer was a woman and that I hadn’t set the turntable to 45 RPM. I was kind of into it. At proper speed, Canadian trio Land of Talk are a pretty good distillation of the dance-beat tinged post-punk revival of the late 00s. There’s a strong reverence for Sonic Youth on “Speak to Me Bones,” which strikes with a quick burst of indie rock glory. It’s not the most original thing in the world, but the track is competent and refreshing. The AA side “Death By Fire,” is awesome. Elizabeth Powell’s vocals break towards an aching loveliness as the band spins a downtrodden indie rock in a way much reminiscent of Baltimore’s Wye Oak. Land of Talk are best known as the group Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon produced shortly after breaking it big, which is unfortunate because they’re good enough to stand on their own two feet.

"Speak to Me Bones"


"Death By Fire"

Best of 2011: Bon Iver - "Beth/Rest"

Bon Iver's latest, self-titled (or is it double-self-titled, who knows!) album has been in the bedroom CD player for about a month and a half. It's sort of the perfect CD to have in your bedroom CD player. It's good for reading to, sleeping to, tender situations, you name it! It's a multi-purpose album, and one of my favorite albums of the year so far if only because I've listened to it like 100 times and I'm still not sick of it. So, a couple of weeks ago I read that the monster closing track "Beth/Rest" was "divisive" amongst critics. Divisive because it's got soft rock sounding keyboards, sax, and guitar solos. And I'm asking these critics who are trashing on this track this: Did you not listen to Destroyer's Kaputt? Homeboy made a whole album based around easy listening and cheesy sax solos and critics loved it and they loved it because it's one of the best albums of the year. So I don't see how "Beth/Rest" is divisive. I don't see how any critic worth his weight in free promo CDs and plus ones would actively single out the last track on an album that is clearly building up to that last track. I guess people didn't like the end of "Lost," so I can see potentially being let down, but only if this track was legitimately bad. Cheesy and corny? Well, sure, but that seems to be the point. To employ those elements and overcome the shittiness of that bygone genre to make something spectacular. It would make more sense to just straight up hate this record than to single out "Beth/Rest." Haters gonna hate, though, and Bon Iver's reached that level of popularity that creates a backlash amongst the snob elite that I really can't understand. It's ok if other people like this, and it's ok if those people are sorority girls or 15 year olds because really, that seems to be the point. Having music that is universally loved be actual good music is a novelty these days and hell, if Arcade Fire or Bon Iver are gonna get all beloved, then isn't that a good thing? Side quest rant aside, there are some mega-hits on Bon Iver, Bon Iver, Bon Iver and it's exactly the kind of departure Justin Vernon needed to make. He can't record albums in the woods forever, you know.