Seek the light

Despite at least 18 months in the fickle glare of the indie spotlight, Bon Iver seems to be suffering very little fatigue, and certainly not with me or the rest of the BW crew - especially not after the amazing show we saw him play back in January.
There are plenty of live sets of Bon Iver floating around the interwebs now (NPR has two, also try Hard to Find a Friend) but I still felt compelled to post about The MySpace Transmissions because just about every live set I have heard Justin and company perform has been different. This has been available for just under a month now, but I only just came across it a couple of days ago. The set can be watched here or downloaded from the link below.
The stand out in this set has to be the beautiful version of Blindsided that runs to a full 7 minutes. However, stunningly constructed and performed versions of Emma, Flume and Lump Sum also appear.

Bon Iver - The MySpace Transmissions (courtesy of Howling Songs)

MySpace | Website

For Emma

A large slice of the BW crew were lucky enough to make it down to the City Recital Hall in the center of Sydney. The guest of honour was none other than the blogsphere's favourite son Justin Vernon and his rag tag gang AKA Bon Iver. The show, setting and company came together to form a sublime gig. Justin was both humble and charismatic with him and his band showing passion and startling musicianship for such a young band. Highlights included Skinny Love, re:Stacks and a stirring singalong rendition of The Wolves (Part I & II). Goosebumps all round. Check out one of the new tracks from the new EP Blood Bank below and if you have chance to catch them live make sure to grab it by it's scruffy beard.

Bon Iver - Blood Bank (Badongo)

Myspace | Website

Albums Of The Year (Alex)

To be honest, we here at BW didn't really discuss the logistics of posting individual Best Of lists in a year that saw us agree firmly on the releases of a certain few bands. Which is rarer than you might think. To avoid redundancy, see Nat's post for two albums which will probably make a heap of Best Of lists worldwideweb-wide, with mine no exception:

Passion Pit - Chunk Of Change EP

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

There were albums this year that had moments of sheer individual brilliance, from people as diverse as T.I and Bob Dylan, but it only seems fair to include the albums which got the most overall burn. So, as dictated by my iTunes play count, I present you the other 3 best albums of 2008 :

Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak

Kanye's decision to move beyond his comfortable, highly successful mould as a hip-hop producer is demonstration of a commendable ambition, and largely unsurprising for someone with an ego as healthy as his. Like him or hate him for his bold claims about being 'the voice of a generation', with 808's, Kanye has managed that rare feat that is sporadically achieved in pop music: the ability to craft an album that will influence the sound of pop music for the immediate, and perhaps lasting future.

(On a sidenote, anyone unconvinced by the new material should try to catch a live show, as some of the BW family did last night. Moments of earnest indulgence from Mr West did nothing to stymie a concert that at times reached obscene levels of fun.)

Kanye West feat. Kid Cudi - Welcome To Heartbreak

The Hood Internet - Lykke Li minimix

I thought Lykke Li's album was amazing in and of itself. But it seems to have been the most fertile ground for people wanting to do mash-ups or remixes since Paper Planes. The Hood Internet's signature approach pairs her transcendent vocals with a range of sweetly tessellated beats, from the beautiful ambience of The Field and Gui Boratto to dancefloor bangers with Hercules & Love Affair and Booka Shade. When quite often mash-ups can be merely "oh that's kinda clever," these six little gems leave you more "oh woah that's better."

The Hood Internet vs Lykke Li - minimix (via The Hood Internet)



Air France – No Way Down EP
This was my go-to ‘in transit’ choice. It works equally well as background music to a book on the train, or when I’m skating somewhere, or when I’m just walking. Which is not to say it’s a white noise thing: the songs all just have a way of being present and feeling so appropriate to being in motion. Sort of like when a song sounds right at the beach, and you zen out a little.

Air France – Collapsing At Your Doorstep