You Crazy Dreamers

A few days ago I logged onto my Skype account and Olivier (fellow contributor) had left me an IM with a link to Bon Ivers’ new album. I thanked him for the link and closed the window out. Later that evening I had a few minutes to spare so I went online and clicked on the link. I was immediately addicted. I can’t take credit for this find and I apologize in advance Olly if you were planning on writing about Bon Iver, but I just felt that this was/is too good not to share.

For some of you whom I’ve had off line conversations about what my album pick of the year would be, you would know that the new Josh Ritter has been ranking high on my list. Let me tell you Bon Iver is a closing in on him, very close. His album has been recorded but no actual date of release has been mentioned. I was lucky enough to get a few of his songs sent to me but am anxiously awaiting the release of the album to hold it in my hands. I’m just a sucker for the real thing.

This is the reason why I love music so much. It’s not often that you find an artist that you can connect to. Ray LaMontagne did it for me a few years back and I can’t really explain what it is other than the music just speaks to me. Bon Iver’s music just spoke to me and I can’t stop listening, playing, analyzing, and connecting to it all. “Skinny Love” became an instant favorite, you can download below. You can also stream the entire album here.

Thank you Olivier for always thinking of me and sending me amazing music. You need to start blogging more….I know, I know, life keeps us busy.

His Story:

It wasn’t planned. The goal was to hibernate.

Justin Vernon moved to a remote cabin in the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin at the onset of winter. Tailing from the swirling breakup of his long time band, he escaped to the property and surround himself with simple work, quiet and space. He lived there alone for three months, filling his days with wood splitting and other chores around the land. This special time slowly began feeding a bold, uninhibited new musical focus.

The days slowly evolved into days filled with twelve-hour recording blocks, breaking only for trips on the tractor into the pines to saw and haul firewood, or for frozen sunrises high up a deer stand. All of his personal trouble, lack of perspective, heartache, longing, love, loss and guilt that had been stock piled over the course of the past six years, was suddenly purged into the form of song. The end result is, For Emma, Forever Ago, a nine-song album comprised of what’s been dubbed by those most familiar with his music: Vernon’s best work to date.

Bon Iver (pronounced: bohn eevair; French for “good winter” and spelled wrong on purpose) is a greeting, a celebration and a sentiment. It is a new statement of an artist moving on and establishing the groundwork for a lasting career. For Emma, Forever Ago is the debut of this lineage of songs. As a whole, the record is entirely cohesive throughout and remains centered around a particular esthetic, prompted by the time and place for which it was recorded. Vernon seems to have tested his boundaries to the maximum, and in doing so has managed to break free form any pre-cursing or finished forms. continue