Bon Iver: Live at Radio CIty Music Hall

Justin Vernon is a cruel man. First he delights fans by providing a 97 minute HD video of his Radio City Music Hall performance for fans on Youtube. The next day, he says he may be "walking away" from Bon Iver for a while. Devastating news. Either way, I couldn't be more excited to see them perform in November. Judging by the video above their live performances are as strong as ever.

Kanye West: Lost In The World.

Remember when Kanye West released My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? Yeah, long time ago. For me, it was without doubt one of the best albums I've ever heard. Big words. Well, he has finally got around to releasing some visuals for one of the more surprising tracks on the album, Lost In The World, in which he teams up with Bon Iver.



Kanye got Ruth Hogban in to direct the video, which as most Kanye West videos now do, make very little sense but instead are to be interrupted as an art form. As in a few other videos, Kanye doesn't make eye contact with the camera as he is seen strutting his stuff from a birds-eye view. Together with some girl dancing very aggressively in over-sized t-shirts, it makes quite a video.

The Playlist: Summer Heart / Theophilus London / Azealia Banks / Bon Iver

Summer Heart - I Wanna Go



Theophilus London - Big Spender Ft Asap Rocky



Azealia Banks - Hood Bitch



Bon Iver - Holocene (BA$SY Remix)

The Playlist: Jools Holland: Jack White / Grimes / Alabama Shakes

Later with Jools Holland is still one of the best shows the BBC has to offer us. It's a dedication to live music, and to talented and diverse musicians that is often left by the way side in the current world of TV. It's a show where you will be watching the biggest acts in the world rubbing shoulders with the latest hype, all next to the most obscure artists. There's just one requirement, talent. Simple as. Over the years Jools has provided some truly memorable performances, most notably for me Bon Iver and Seasick Steve.

The latest show was one of the best I've seen in a while, with Jack White, Grimes and Alabama Shakes really standing out for me. Jack White with his energy and incredible live sound, Grimes with her unique, talented and beautiful ways and Alabama Shakes just going balls out and giving it some.

Jack White - Sixteen Saltines



Grimes - Genesis



Alabama Shakes - Hold On

Bon Iver on Ellen DeGeneres.

With Bon Iver's band as tight as ever, almost as if it were the first time he'd sung the song, Bon Iver was at his spin-tingling best on Ellen:

Bon Iver: Towers.

Bon Iver X Stuart Carey

Bon Iver has always had a strongly dedicated fanbase but he has always been somewhat underground and under the radar. His second album Bon Iver, Bon Iver got huge critical acclaim and did well commercially too, getting a decent amount of mainstream radio play. He even went on and picked up two much deserved Grammys, though he did shun performing with Alicia Keys. Wise move.
This has opened the door for Bon Iver to perform in new and interesting ways. In the last couple of weeks he has played on SNL and performed a brilliant version of Perth with The Roots. He now teams up with musician Stuart Carey, a couple of pianos and a few hand-picked songs. This 24 minute piece is wonderfully filmed and even more wonderfully performed, two very talented men, doing what they do best.

Bon Iver X The Roots

I think this is what heaven sounds like.

Albums Of The Year: 2011

Most of this year’s top albums lists have already been release and whilst everyone is looking towards Pitchfork for the most comprehensive and critically acclaimed list, there will be a large percentage of the music loving community eagerly anticipated Village Boy’s top list. Possibly.

Putting this list together made me realise a couple of things. 1. What an incredible year of music it has been across all genres, the fact that almost all of these albums are debut albums makes you realise that music is in a healthy state no matter what LMFAO and Pitbull try to do to it. And secondly, how much my music taste has changed, I've got TWO R&B albums in there. There's hip-hop, indie, rock, dance, acoustic, it makes my iTunes a happy place to be.

So here's my 21 favourite albums of the year. Feel free to point out ones I've missed, which order they should be in or how completely right I am...


21. Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter And Melancholy Jam

Favourite track - Cash And Carry Me Home


20. Twin Atlantic - Free

Favourite track - Free


19. Everything Everything - Man Alive

Favourite track - Come Alive Diana


18. James Vincent McMorrow - Early In The Morning

Favourite track - We Don't Eat


17. The Weeknd - House Of Balloons

Favourite track - High For This


16. Frank Ocean - Nostaligia Ultra

Favourite track - Swim Good


15. Apollo Brown - Clouds

Favourite track - Never In A Million Years


14. Wild Beasts - Smother

Favourite track - Albatross


13. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

Favourite track - Reunion


12. Ben Howard - Every Kingdom

Favourite track - The Fear


11. The Black Keys - El Camino

Favourite track - Gold On The Ceiling


10. The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

Favourite track - All In White


9. J Cole - Cole World: Sideline Story

Favourite track - Sideline Story


8. Foo Fighters  - Wasting Light

Favourite track - Bridge Burning


7. SBTRKT - SBTRKT

Favourite track - Wildfire


6. Yuck - Yuck

Favourite track - Holing Out


5. Jamie XX & Gil Scott Heron - We're New Here

Favourite track - NY Is Killing Me


4. Drake - Take Care

Favourite track - Marvin's Room



3. Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind Of Fix

Favourite track - Lights Out, Words Gone



2. Jay Z and Kanye West - Watch The Throne

Favourite track - Murder To Excellence

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver

Favourite track - Towers

Bon Iver Deluxe.

It was recently announced that Bon Iver is to re-release his second album, and one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2011, in a deluxe format featuring a DVD that has 10 visual accompaniments for the album. It is to be stressed that these are not music videos. But they are videos to music.

Nevertheless I am really keen to get my hands on this version. Pre-Bon Iver, Bon Iver the only visuals fans had were live performances on various TV shows or in studios, sure these racked up millions of views, but to see the artist's own visual interruption of their own songs cannot be bested. These videos are even more poignant with an artist such as Justin Vernon as his songs are so deeply personal. Like Sigur Ros, Bon Iver is proving that his creative vision extends further than producing incredible music with videos such as Holocene and Calgary. Now it's time to feast our eyes on a visual companion for an entire album. Here's the first for us, Hinnom, TX:

Gig Review: Bon Iver - Hammersmith Apollo.

For years now I've been listening to Bon Iver. And by listening to, I mean having For Emma, Forever Ago on repeat for a few years, then the four track Blood Bank EP on repeat, and then this year their second album, Bon Iver, surfaced and is looking like a strong contender for my album of the year. I've watched his performance of Skinny Love on Jools Holland, countless times, felt every ounce of sadness in his Bonnie Raitt cover of I Can't Make You Love Me. And then there's his work with the one and only Kanye West just to top it all off.

It's fair to say I'm a big fan.

It's almost impossible to speak of Bon Iver, aka Justin Vernon, without mentioning his retreat into a cabin in the woods after his heartbreak from his girlfriend. This is where he wrote his incredible debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago. His odd, highly pitched, yet majestic voice and simple guitar riffs culminated into a deeply sad, heartfelt record that captures the hearts of so many. It is a beautiful album, quite simply, one of the best I have ever heard.

And then came his second album, Bon Iver. Along with millions of others, I prayed that it was as incredible as I hoped it to be. And it was. Now with a 9 piece band, Bon Iver was a whole new beast. With a variety of instruments, some backing singers and some sound manipulations, Bon Iver managed to produce an album of sonic perfection. The tracks are simple and humble when they need to be, and then suddenly epic and euphoric. Every drop is perfectly timed, every lyric perfectly sung and every instrument perfectly placed. Perfect.

So after years of what seems like adoration and hero worship as I write this post, I finally got to see the man live in concert. Needless to say I was excited. Needless to say it was perfect. Like his albums, the gig had a beautiful rythem to starting off, as the sound album does with Perth and Towers, dipping down into a solo Flume and Holocene and then up in Blood Bank.




As the sold out gig progressed, the crowd was transfixed as one, yet it felt oddly personal, largely due to the nature of his songs and the emotions that he can still portray them with. It was almost like every song was going to do end the gig, but there was another and another. After one of the loudest requests for an encored I have heard, he and his band returned to finish the night on two of his sadness, yet greatest songs, For Emma and then of course Skinny Love. Despite the sadness of the songs, you can't help but join in and feel the release of the sounds on behalf of Justin. Having listened to and watched many Skinny Love videos, his live version was unique and a welcome change as he sat down with his guitar and was surrounded by his band as they clapped, stomped and sang along. It was a (sorry for repetition of) perfect end to a perfect night.

Music Monday 67: Bumper Edition.

Jay Electronica - Act 2 Blink 182 - After Midnight Florence And The Machine - Shake It Out J Cole (ft Jay-Z) - Mr Nice Watch Lana Del Ray - Blue Jeans Futures - Say My Name Bon Iver - Beth/Rest (Piano version)

Music Monday 65.

I'm very excited about this week's post, a couple of superb colloborations and a couple of highly anticipated comebacks.

Bon Iver and James Blake - Fall Creek Choir Boys



Wow. There was a huge amount of excitement when this was announced. Two of the most critically acclaimed artists of the last two years join forces, and wow. It is the perfect about of Bon Iver and the perfect amount of James Blake. I don't think anyone expected anything less.

Lady Gaga - You And I (Wild Beasts remix)



Now as far as expected colloborations goes, I don't think this can be put down as one of those. Wild Beasts, again, were one of the most critially acclaimed artists this year with the fantastic Smother album, and Gaga, is well, Gaga. This remix works perfectly. It is dark and haunting, and you get lost in the track, well done Wild Beasts (yes, I'm giving them most of the credit).

Florence And The Machine - What The Water Gave Me



Remember Florence? You know the one that played every festival and had her music on every advert and montage possible? All from her debut album? The debut album was fantastic and deserved the success it got, however, it is definitely nice to hear something new. And with almost a million and a half views in just a few days, I'm not the only one to hear something new. I can't say it is dramatically different from the first album, but if it ain't broke.

Ben Folds Five - House

http://www.nbc.com/sing-off/about/benfolds.shtml

Ok, I can't find a version of the song that I can embedd anywhere, so the link will do. But it's Ben Folds Five's first song in over a decade. Yep, a decade. If you don't know Ben Folds, he's covered Dr Dre with an orchestra and has had Chatroulette on a projector during a gig. Yeah, he's cool. And very talented, go listen.

Bon Iver: Holocene

Few words need to be said about this. Just admire the beauty.

Jose Vanders X Luke Leighfield X Bon Iver

I've listened to these two little singer/songwriter indie pop gems for a few years now, they've got a lot of hard work in them and a more than their fair share of talent to back it up. They often performance together and to celebrate their join tour, they decided to cover a Bon Iver classic, Blindsided. And it is filmed wonderfully too, just as an added extra.



How could I not share this with you?

Kanye & GOOD Music Does SXSW.

There are some gigs in life that you would pay serious money to get into. Whether it's your favourite artist, the sheer quality of the live performance they offer, or even just the atmosphere. The best gigs combine all of this, my most recent was certainly Coldplay was Glastonbury.

When Kanye West and his GOOD Music family took to the stage at SXSQ festival, it was certainly something that was not to be missed. However if you are on the wrong side of the Atlantic, it had to be missed. But never fear, the good people at Vevo (yes, Vevo, the folks that everyone curses at for taking over Youtube) supported the event and have put together was quality iPhone-free highlights for all to enjoy.

From a pretty epic beginning, single handedly managed by Mos Def, through to the incredible Dark Fantasy with Bon Iver, to the still bizarre H.A.M with Jay Z, then to some wonderful sounds by John Legend with some solo performances by Big Sean, Kid Cudi and Pusha T, indulge yourself in an evening of GOOD Music.















G.O.O.D Music is Good Music.

Bon Iver On Colbert

Seeing as I'm on a bit of a Bon Iver addiction of late, I felt compelled to share these two live performances from the man with you.

The first is his latest single, the first off the new album, Calgary. Having watching many live videos of Bon Iver over and over again, it's really nice to watch and listen to some new material. (Ignore the slightly weird sax solo)



The second video is indeed one of those songs that I have listened to many a time, and watched so many live videos of on Youtube. However this is the first time I've seen him perform it with others. I really like the basic accapella take it gives to the track, giving it a bit more depth and volume.



A couple of pretty special performances. Can't wait to see him live.

Bon Iver: Calgary.

I find it difficult to put into words how good the new Bon Iver album is, it's sensational. I truly hope it never grows old on me, none of his previous work has yet, so I plan to have very happy ears for a very long time.

For all the glorious music Bon Iver has brought into our lives, we are yet to see a music video. Not because nobody wants to watch one, far from it, as his live videos have clocked up literally millions of hits on Youtube. But here it is, at last, a music video from Bon Iver.



It's beautiful, it's weird and eery and you're left wondering what quite to make of it all. Perfect. It must be tough to match visuals to your songs that are geniunely loved around the world, for the first time. I think he just about pulls it off in his own unique way. I really hope there's a couple more videos to come from his incredible album, or maybe a mini-movie such as Kanye West's Runaway. Now that would be special.

Music Monday 53: Bumper Edition.

Yeah it was one of those weeks where new music was coming out of all the cracks, so I'm going to shut up and let you listen this week.

Arcade Fire - Speaking In Tongues



Arcade Fire - Culture War



Bon Iver - I Can't Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt cover)



Bon Iver - Your Love (The Outfield Cover)



Yeasayer - The Devil And The Deed



J Cole - Return Of Simba



Limp Bizkit - Shotgun



Dot Rotten - Normal Human Being




Told you it was big.

Music Monday 52.

Ok I have to admit the noise in my ears this week has predominatly been Bon Iver's album. It's incredible. But nevertheless I've still got a few musical gems for you.

Bon Iver - Calgary



I'll try and keep this brief(ish) as I could easily fill the rest of your day with Bon Iver superlatives. There's so many outstanding tracks on his latest album, however I shall stick to the first official single as to not spoil it for those waiting for the official release. This track is a great showcase for the album, Justin Vernon has clearly learnt some new tricks over the past few years since Blook Bank, working with Kanye West, Gayngs and Volcano Choir has no doubt helped. I'll stop now, but I simpyl can't recommend it highly enough.

Drake - Dreams Money Can Buy



Remember Jai Paul from last week? Well Drake has gone and got his mitts on the beat and laid down some lyrics over the top of it. And it works, just. I've got a lot of time for Drake, having listened to a couple of interviews he really appears to be (cliche alert) 'more than just a rapper'. He has real desire to push the music he produces, wanting to work with British talents Jamie XX and Florence Welch, this track is just another example of Drizzy trying new things.

Nero ft Sub Focus - Promises



It's safe to say when you get two of the biggest names of dance/electro/dubstep together, it's going to be something special. There's SO many examples of when dubstep remixes are clearly forced and done just to try and look cool, but the talent of these two pulls it off perfectly. This is definitely a track that will be filling every sort of club from now on.

Digitalism - Forrest Gump



With an album named "I Love You Dude" and the latest song from it called "Forrest Gump", this band is clearly good at naming things (most useless skill ever). They're also pretty tidy at producing a good dance song. Written with Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, which is never a bad thing.