#9: VOLCANO CHOIR- "Repave"
September, 2013 brought me my 9th favorite album of 2013. "Repave", the sophomore effort of VOLCANO CHOIR brought what I found to be a more accessible album than their 2009 debut album, "Unmap". The band, a collaboration between Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and members of COLLECTIONS OF COLONIES OF BEES is similar to the fairly well known music of Bon Iver (Vernon handles most vocal responsibilities) and, in many cases, is even better. To be frank, it took some time for me to get into Bon Iver. My first exposure to Vernon's work was the Bon Iver album "For Emma, Forever Ago", which didn't immediately sink in. It wasn't until the self-titled album of 2011 that I really began to connect with Vernon's music and, at that point, it hit big. The song "Holocene" now ranks as one of my favorite songs of all time. Funny that I didn't even discover the work of Vernon's side project, Volcano Choir, until 2012.
Upon first listen, "Repave" immediately sounded like an old friend coming to visit... lush, down-tempo music live Bon Iver, but with a different vocal sound coming from Vernon. Where Bon Iver usually trumps a Justin Vernon falsetto, Volcano Choir usually finds him singing in a lower register, one that is easier for me to digest. Musically speaking, I connect with this album from start to finish. The arrangements are more sparse... ethereal and acoustic, for the most part...but beautiful and engaging. If you have found yourself to be a fan of Bon Iver (I'm still not familiar with Collections of Colonies of Bees, so I don't know what to say about them), you definitely need to check this band out... especially this album.
NPR MUSIC FRONT ROW
and just because I love it SO much...
Bon Iver: Holocene
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