No. 31: Bon Iver

Justin Vernon is the vocals, guitarist, keyboards, and drummer behind Bon Iver which is pronounced /bone ivɛər/. Bon Iver is based off the French word "bon hiver" which means good winter. Vernon came up with the name from a story about an Alaskan town. Every year for the first snow, the townspeople came out of their houses and gathered in town square. They hugged and kissed each other and would say "bon hiver." Vernon wasn't sure what it meant but liked the story, after he found the meaning, he decided to drop off the "h" since he wasn't French.

What made Justin Vernon hide out in his Father's Wisconsin cabin for three months and create his debut album "For Emma, Forever Ago"? His band broke up, the relationship with his girlfriend ended and he had mono. Good enough reasons for me plus one of the best albums of 2008 came out of his seclusion. Obviously as one can guess with all of these fantastic events happening in his life, this album is pretty mellow. Songs "Flume", "Lump Sum", and "Wolves Act I and II" are heartfelt songs with deep soulful lyrics. The song that takes the cake is "Skinny Love." I believe this song alone made "For Emma, Forever Ago" leap from a self-released album to a widely released and critically acclaimed album in 2008 by label Jagjaguwar. I personally have listened to the song 100 times. He created an EP in January called "Blood Bank" which feels a bit more produced then the debut. Hopefully the full length album will be out before 2010. Bon Iver plays on Friday at 3:00 during Lollapalooza.

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