Bon Iver, Bon Iver

I've been waiting for this for quite a while now, and NPR has it available through their First Listen. Bon Iver's second, self-titled, LP!

I think music can be appealing for many reasons, but you usually connect to something because it hits you in a personal way. For me, this album's fatefulness is almost too much. Justin Vernon, Bon Iver's main man, is Mr. Wisconsin, and this record, just like his last, has it literally written all over it. America's Dairyland isn't particularly known for it's production of musical prodigies (other than This Man), but JV does us proud!

I'll spare you the emotional sap that I can write here and just tell you to listen to the record, a couple times through for best results. But make sure you know the lyrics...Justin wants you to know what he's singing.

Weekend, Sports

This album would have landed squarely within the top 15 of my "Best Albums of '10" list had I been ambitious enough to follow through before the stroke of midnight on December 31st.

Instead, I'll just tell you about it now.

I'm still a bit confused about the title; Jock Jams this is not. The entire length of Sports is full of droney, space rock. Joy Division and Interpol are a couple bands I'd liken Weekend's sound to. Weekend's strongest components are its rhythm elements. Prominent and melodic bass lines and lots of drums. Vocals and guitars are used mostly as additional layers of sound.

I've listened to this album at different times, and I've found it to have an odd chameleonic effect. When I'm in a crappy mood, Sports echoes my sorrow, and when I'm feeling optimistic, the album has been uplifting (unlike the Antlers, whose music just depresses me no matter what).

Additional note: if you like to listen to music while bathing, this stuff is perfect...above- and below-water aural differences seem to be minimal, ha!