Justin Vernon is one enigmatic fellow. It’s not always easy to decipher the poetry of his songs, but we still love to soak in the reverberant melodies and uncover the mystery of Bon Iver. Maybe one of the biggest puzzles yet is the video for his latest single, “Calgary.” It’s abstract, sultry and features a backwards bear and people falling through hidden worlds in the earth.
via Paste
God Bless The Hunger, the album from Gabriel Birnbaum (a.k.a. Boy Without God), will be released on June 21.
MP3: Timber Timbre – “Black Water”
Timber Timbre‘s sophomore effort, Creep On Creepin’ On, sees the band bringing us even more of its characteristic, Halloween-style dance rock, from the Leonard Cohen-esque opener “Bad Ritual,” to the Shining Soundtrack-styled “Swamp Magic.” It’s the kind of music that makes you want to dim the lights, get that old headless mannequin out of the attic, and have a nice slowdance. Continue reading…
MP3: Marissa Nadler – “The Sun Always Reminds Me of You”
Stream: Marissa Nadler – “Baby I Will Leave You in the Morning”
Full album stream: Marissa Nadler – Marissa Nadler
Singer/songwriter and O&B favorite Marissa Nadler has been making dreamy, ruminating music for several years now, and each successive release is better than the last. Continue reading…
Full album stream: Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Bon Iver is a grand, chance-taking record: It sheds the raw nerviness of 2008’s perfect For Emma, Forever Ago and replaces it with arrangements so lush and vivid, it can be hard to make out much of what Vernon sings. Out June 21, the whole record dares to be dreamy, and to let Bon Iver’s ever-growing backing band paint pictures while Vernon’s words dissipate into the ether. Most of these 10 songs induce gasps at one point or another, for any number of reasons: from the forceful jolt of an orchestral boomlet, the delicate shhhhhinnnnng of finger cymbals, or an impeccable bit of vocal phrasing by Vernon, who can still make seemingly slight inflections hit like punches.
Bon Iver has also announced a sizable tour that will take him through the eastern U.S. and Europe, with no West Coast dates as yet. The last time Vernon and his band played San Diego, he came to UCSD’s tiny Ché Café, charged $7, and basically blew everyone’s mind. When he does play San Diego again, it’ll be nowhere near as intimate, but you can still count on O&B’s attendance. Full list of Bon Iver tour dates is below…