song of the day: may 19/2011

Bon Iver - Holocene
Album: Bon Iver [2011]

with every year comes new albums from artists that you've come to expect almost too much from, and, most of the time, it's impossible and unfair for them to evoke the same type of magic they conjured up the last time. however, your favourite artists are always capable of catching lightning twice, and such is the case here. i am very pleased to announce that justin vernon (bon iver)'s latest offering (which isn't out yet! shhhh...) is immediately as engaging, heartwrenching, and ambitious as his masterpiece, 2008's "for emma, forever ago". tough call since it was one of the best albums of the 2000's, and i've only listened to this one three times, but sometimes music has more feeling than you can describe, and in this case, it's instant and magnificent. "holocene" actually reminds me more of songs from his "hazelton" album - it's all built around his dream-like guitar picking and falsetto voice. as the song moves along there are hints of horns and strings, along with a rolling drum beat that gives the song a powerful backbone. the whole album is stunning, overflowing with atmosphere, new ideas and surprises, and some solid forward-thinking from one of the best songwriters of today. best album of 2011 thus far :)

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