Posts tagged Bon Iver

Solstice

1 year ago

by grock in Electronic, Indie

Its official, summer is here…

Today marks the first day of summer with the summer solstice and in return we get the longest day of the year.

There’s a lot of discussion around the interpretation the summer solstice, and that changes drastically between different cultures. The underlying fact is that this is the day (for those of us living in the northern hemisphere) that the great big ball of fire in the sky blazes down on us the longest. That sounds like a perfect reason to celebrate!

Let’s kick off another endless summer with some great music! First up we have a remix by Twin Shadow, who is set to make a visit to Vancouver on June 28th:

Hooray For Earth – Surrounded By Your Friends (Twin Shadow Remix)

Here is an example of some fantastic local talent. Drew Harris, aka Germany Germany, is an engineering student at the University of Victoria by day and a stellar DJ/producer by night. His upcoming tour schedule is focused on France and Germany (of course). We are looking forward to your return Drew and seeing you here in Vancouver!

Germany Germany – River

To finish, today also marks the release of the latest Bon Iver album, here is one the first singles, Calgary. I just bought the album on iTunes and am really enjoying the new direction he has taken. It’s some of his finest work and will definitely make an excellent addition to your library.

Twin Shadow | Germany Germany | Bon Iver

Bon Iver

2 years ago

by grock in Indie

Good Winter…

Or not so much the case for Bon Iver, AKA Justin Vernon, when he initially came up with the name. He was stuck in bed fighting off a case of mono and watching old episodes of Northern Exposure. In one such episode, the inhabitants of the small Alaskan town were leaving there homes on a snowy morning and wishing each other “Bon Hiver”, French for good winter. He ended up deciding to drop the H in hiver, because he said it reminded him to much of liver, which is where his body was battling the mono.

At any rate, this is how the band was born. Justin spent a great deal of time on his own, writing and recording the first album “For Emma, Forever Ago” which was released in 2008 and received critical acclaim. It has been ranked as one of the best albums of the 2000′s. In 2009, the band released an EP titled “Blood Bank” and collaborated with St. Vincent to produce the track Rosyln for the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack.

The sound that the band is best know for is somber, folk inspired and full of rich harmonies. It really doesn’t take long to appreciate the time, effort, heart and soul that went into producing the songs.

Prepare yourself, the best news is yet to come! In March of this year, Justin announced that Bon Iver would be releasing a second album on June 21! The date happens to also be summer solstice, which may coincide with his statement that the album is taking a new musical direction. I can’t wait for the tour to begin.

Here’s a sampling of the magic that is Bon Iver:

Bon Iver – Flume