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Bon Iver’s Good Winter
By Chris Whibbs
It took one song. Yes, “Flume,” the first song on Bon Iver’s debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, was the one that made him run to a cabin in Wisconsin where even more gorgeous and fluttery indie-folk would be born. As lone member Justin Vernon recounts, “That track was actually recorded in North Carolina, like three days before, and that was the song that made me leave. I went straight up north to sort of hunker down for a few months.”
Don’t make the leap to think this was part of a greater plan.
“Words like decision and intention aren’t words that float in my head because I just went,” Vernon explains. “I left North Carolina and went up there because I didn’t know where else to go and I knew that I wanted to be alone and I knew that I wanted to be where it was cold.”
This exile led to an intense period of experimentation, which explains why his debut is filled with unconventional song structures all accompanied by Vernon’s glorious falsetto voice. It’s that combination that has people entranced because not only is it unique and exciting, it also has the feel of a subtle exorcism.
Though that may be too extreme a description for Vernon, there definitely was some soul-searching. “I didn’t have anyone to answer to, I wasn’t in a band, and I didn’t even know I was making a record,” he says. “I was just messing around, trying to do something new because I’d sort of reached my wit’s end on a lot of levels, life-wise, right around that time. I was just scraping my subconscious trying to find some sort of flame in there and it really worked for me to uncover some of that stuff.”
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Plants and Animals’ Parc Life
 Montreal has more than its share of grand streets, each suited to a particular purpose. Ste. Catherine is the everyman’s consumerist artery of the city. St. Denis is for the upscale shopper. St. Urbain is the residential thoroughfare. St. Laurent is the congested tourist trap in constant flux.
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Not So Cryptic Crystal Castles
 Crystal Castles are something of a myth. According to legend (read: numerous blogs and glossy magazine features), the Toronto-based duo formed by chance, accidentally found their “8-bit terrorist” sound, never ever practice, refuse to do interviews and at no time show their faces in press photos. “N...Read More
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Genghis Tron Change Their Ways
 “We got tired of Genghis Tron songs being interesting because of the methods involved," says Hamilton Jordan, guitarist and half of the programming team of this Poughkeepsie, New York outfit. First demonstrated by 2005's Cloak of Love EP, their “methods” involve some of the most vicious drum ...Read More
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Shots of Ladyhawk
 “We live near each other, we hang out, and we’re on the same label. But the other day I read a press release, and someone had referred to us as ‘Black Mountain’s kid brother band,’” says Duffy Driediger, singer and songwriter for Vancouver-based indie rockers Ladyhawk. “I was like ‘Hey man, what the...Read More
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Atlas Sound’s Imperfect Prescription
 “Why does everything have to be perfect?” asks Bradford Cox, in response to complaints about a song he recently posted on his blog, deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com. It’s a fair question considering the front-man for Deerhunter posts free MP3s on his page almost daily. “I put up a song the other day t...Read More
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The Raveonettes’ Buddy System
 The Raveonettes tie together vast contrasts. Fronted by raven-haired Sune Rose Wagner and platinum blonde Sharin Foo, the two form a striking pair. Originally from Denmark, the group now calls America home, with Foo living in L.A. and Wagner living in New York. Their textured sounds draw from the da...Read More
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