Thursday Bears: Bon Iver on Ellen

Ellen is usually a fan of bringing acts attached to modern ones, but not necessarily the actual acts themselves (the group that covered Gotye, the man from the "Lonely Boy" Black Keys video). So when the show actually nabbed Bon Iver, it was a bit surprising.

Check out their performances of "Towers" and "Michicant" below.

Tuesday Bears: Pitchfork Music Festival lineup released

No other music festival bares influence on Lollapalooza more than the Pitchfork Music Festival. Both are held in Chicago, less than a month apart from one another. And because of this, the festival organizers have inacted a "radius clause" which I've mentioned on here time and time again, that states that musical acts that play within a certain mile radius in a certain time span before and after Lollapalooza's scheduled dates cannot play there. All this usually means is that any act playing Pitchfork cannot play Lolla and vice versa.

So, who won't be at Lollapalooza this year? Feist, Vampire Weekend, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, lead out the initial headlining list, alongside Hot Chip, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Tim Hecker and a handful of other notable acts, all of which you can see here.

The pre-Pitchfork predictions seemed to be strong for Bon Iver, PJ Harvey, and Jeff Magnum headlining, but now that that seems to be out of the question, that all but guarantees a spot for Justin Vernon and the band at Lolla in August. This, however, is not the entire Pitchfork Music Festival lineup. More than 30 other acts will also be added, so nothing is certain.

Again, nothing is confirmed yet, but this is reason enough to be suspicious. Tickets for the July 13-15 fest go on sale Friday, March 9 at noon. Single-day passes are $45 and a three-day pass are a reasonably priced at $110.

Monday Bears: New videos from Girls, Bon Iver, and Summer Camp

A lot of videos made their way around today - too many for separate posts. Check out Girls' new video for "My Ma," Bon Iver's newest version of "Towers," and Summer Camp's lame photo opportunities with "Losing My Mind," all below.

Girls - My Ma



Bon Iver - Towers



Summer Camp - Losing My Mind

Friday Bears: Bon Iver's 4AD/Jagjaguwar session

Enough Justin Vernon's acceptance speech at last Sunday's Grammy Awards. The brainchild behind Bon Iver released a near-25 minute performance of songs from his last self-titled album, 2009's Blood Bank EP, plus his well-known cover of Bonnie Rait's "I Can't Make You Love Me."

Watch the whole session below, via 4AD and Jagjaguwar Records.

Tuesday Bears: Bonnaroo reveals 2012 lineup

Now that Lollapalooza is finally starting to leak, it's due time that the Bonnaroo lineup made its way out.

With less than four months to go before the June 7-10, Manchester, Tennessee festival, the official lineup was finally released earlier today, with major acts like Radiohead, Phish, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Beach Boys leading the way.

Expected lineup inclusions like Bon Iver (Bonny Bear), The Avett Brothers, and The Shins will be there as well as dozens of other acts (comedy, included). You can read the whole lineup here, or just watch the ESPN introduction video below, which is surprisingly fun.

Tickets for the fest start at $234.50, and go on sale this Saturday, February 18.

Bon Iver on SNL

After last week's debacle of Lana Del Rey, in whatever form you may find it more comforting to explain (along with a good impersonation from Kristin Wiig on last Saturday's show), Justin Vernon and the rest of Bon Iver made their first appearance on the Channing Tatum-hosted Saturday Night Live.

Just a week before the 53rd Grammy Awards, in which the aforementioned group is up for several awards, including 'Best New Artist,' despite being relevant for four-plus years now, Bon Iver performed a spectacular rendition of "Holocene" and a surprising rendition of the much maligned "Best/Rest." Watch the performances below, and look for Colin Stetson helping out for "Best/Rest."

Bon Iver - Holocene



Bon Iver - Beth/Rest (ft. Colin Stetson)

Friday Bears: Sasquatch! 2012 lineup revealed

Sasquatch!, held every year in the Pacific Northwest, isn't regarded as one of the bigger music festivals in the United States, but is usually regarded as one of the best.

Last year, festival organizers enlisted the talents of the Foo Fighters, Wilco, Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, and lot more over the course of four (yes, four) days. While that may be fairly impressive for what isn't regarded as one of the year's bigger events, this year's does boast a fairly heavy - although not as top-heavy - lineup, which you can read in it's entirety here.

Notables in this year's lineup include, but are not limited to Jack White, whose solo album is set to debut a few weeks before the fest, and is the first confirmed show of the ex-White Stripe. Alongside White will be Bon Iver, who seem to be on pace to play every festival this year, the ever-elusive Beck, The Shins, Tenacious D, The Roots, and native heroes Shabazz Palaces, among many others, including comedy acts.

Tickets are on sale now for $315. The event will take place May 25-28

Friday Bears: The Chieftains are 50

The Chieftains, the legendary Irish folk group, have hit their active 50th anniversary. Let that sink in. The Chieftains are now 50 years old. And while the band members continually changed over time, which isn't that strange given the circumstances, sticking together in any form for that long is a certain testament to resilience.

To celebrate the achievement, the group is planning to release Voice of Ages; a compilation effort which includes help from Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, The Decemberists, The Low Anthem, and more.

Listen to the group's collaboration with Bon Iver on "Down By The Willow Garden" below, courtesy of Pretty Much Amazing.

Coachella 2012 Lineup Revealed

As you probably have already heard, the first big music festival of 2012 released its lineup early today, and as you can see from above ... Coachella looks to the biggest event of the year. Not only has the Indio, California festival has enlisted Radiohead, The Black Keys, and Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg as the three primary headliners, but recently reunited At The Drive-In, Pulp, Justice, The Shins, Bon Iver and a crap-ton more have also made the list. Which, by the way, is a bit different this year.

If you haven't heard already (as I had no idea), Coachella is going to take place over two weekends. The lineups won't change from the weekends of April 13-15 to 20-22, but the artists will be playing twice because of overwhelming ticket sales.

Before I get into whatever inclinations this will have for Lollapalooza later this summer, I will affectionately say that this is absolutely the best festival lineup I've seen since Lollapalooza 2008. It's really just astonishing to look at.

Anyway, Coachella usually has a heavy layover of acts for Lolla. Last year, 31 of the 170-plus Coachella acts ended up playing both festivals, with roughly an 18 percent carryover rate. However, of those acts, none were considered the headliners. That doesn't bode fairly well for those hoping that Radiohead would make the Chicago date, but it doesn't completely rule them out.

If there are any tickets left, do your best. They'll be gone fast.

Bears and Bullets Top 25 Songs of 2011: Part V

We'll continue our countdown today with songs #5 through #1.

#5: The Rapture - How Deep is Your Love?
There's a strong, clear attempt at profound meaning in Luke Jenner's wailing on "How Deep is Your Love?," the Rapture's love-cry to loss, both in this world and in Jenner's spiritual one. It's a sound difference from the band's previous stops, who are clearly focused on the religious side of things. In that, it's hard to make a band sound good when they look to religion for most of their material, but forgive the pathways to "How Deep is Your Love?" was made. It sounds good enough so no one on either side of the spiritual spectrum pays any mind.



#4: Bon Iver - Holocene
It's hard to not find something that resonates in Bon Iver; the soft-lulled sensibilities, the unconscious, yet artful construction, and Justin Vernon's ease to cast light on enlightening visual elements. "Holocene," the center-piece of Bon Iver, still sounds like Vernon circa 2007, but there's a level of depth that takes a few listens. The subtle instrumental movements take a quiet, serene song, and make it sound more lavish, almost contextual with nature, than it seems. Vernon's reliable falsetto paces through soft horns and marching drums, slowly carrying the air under "Holocene" up to a point where it seems majestic. And while some songs have an uncharacteristic ability to mimic nature, Bon Iver truly sound immersed in it.



#3: Dum Dum Girls - Coming Down
Dum Dum Girls have effectively cornered the Mazzy Star aesthetic on "Coming Down," which blasts heroically through the aforementioned Star-like vocals and Jesus and Mary Chain drum snares. While the influences do rain heavy, the band sounds surprisingly huge here, especially for a group that teetered on the fence of "which indie girl group is that again?" The four-piece set themselves apart with "Coming Down," effectively standing their ground on something that can be called as beautiful as it is memorable, going on for nearly seven minutes, without losing a step any way through.



#2: Tyler, The Creator - Yonkers
"Yonkers" should effectively go down as 2011's "Holy Shit" moment. Here's Tyler, The Creator, the head-piece of Odd Future, the biggest up-and-coming group in hip-hop, rapping about killing Bruno Mars, Columbine, cartoons, and being a totally non-understood rapper. "Yonkers" screams anti-rap, almost to a rounded punk nature. Rather than take the music too seriously, the 20-year-old Tyler opts to fuck with it, laughing in the game's stereotypes and coming through as a generally fucked-up mind. Maybe it's all in character, but "Yonkers" isn't just a showcase for an all character, no substance artist. Sometimes genuinely weird people make genuinely weird, interesting music.



#1: M83 - Midnight City
It feels like a cop-out, I get that. The same song that was on my #1 Album of 2011 and Pitchfork's pick for song of the year, makes it as #1 on Bears and Bullets Top 25 Songs of 2011. But that decision was made months ago when "Midnight City" leaked - before Hurry Up, We're Dreaming was released and before the Victoria's Secret ad caught a bit of national attention. "Midnight City" has all the proponents of a visionary M83 piece; the roaring, romantic vocals, stand-out synth work,and  memorable hooks. But the wailing, off-beat chorus of what sounds like animal shrieks blended in between and the totally out of nowhere sax solo during the climax make "Midnight City" stand out far, far more than any other track released this year. How all of those components were put together to make something not only memorable, but insanely invigorating, is something to be admired.



We'll that makes Bears and Bullets last post of 2011. Have a happy New Year, everyone, and I'll see you in 2012.

Bears and Bullets Top 25 Songs of 2011: Part II

We''ll continue our countdown today with songs #20 through #16.

#20: Rustie - Ultra Thizz
Glass Swords, Scottish producer Rustie's first full-length debut, is full of songs like "Ultra Thizz," which takes a smart man's look in between dubstep and electro pop. In that regard, however, it rarely sounds like either of those genre's take collective footing in Rustie's underrated technique. "Ultra Thizz" simply does what Glass Swords does best; putting together recognizable pieces into something completely different. 

Rustie - Ultra Thizz by Bears and Bullets

#19: Real Estate - It's Real
There's nothing demonstratively complex about "It's Real," Real Estate's most endearing and memorable take to date. The band sounds, if anything, lush here, breezing through soft guitar and "Ohh" choruses, it makes the more unnecessarily produced tracks of the year seem somewhat preposterous in comparison, taking a page from Kurt Vile's book. There's nothing a song needs sometimes than a memorable hook, solid timing, and the ability to take itself less seriously.



#18: The Weeknd - The Knowing
The finale to The Weeknd's pretty fucking good debut House of Balloons, "The Knowing" is Abel Tesfaye's six-minute epic to clearly being cheated on. For all of memorable moments on House of Balloons, or even Thursday or Echoes of Silence, the two follow-up albums, none are nearly as personal or as easily to relate to as "The Knowing." But there's nothing tedious or petty that comes through, regardless of however Tesfaye really dealt with it.



#17: Bon Iver - Perth
Bon Iver's emphatic opener, "Perth" sets the unreal pace for the rest of the album that, for the most part, does its best to match it. Justin Vernon and the rest of Bon Iver sound deceivingly huge, backed by multiple drums, horns, and a rhythm section, but still manage to keep the quiet allure of the group and Vernon's intimate vocal style close at hand. It speaks volume for the rest of the album, the band keeping itself in tact with its large world sensibilities and small world sounds.  



#16: Mastodon - Spectrelight
The Hunter, Mastodon's latest effort, wasn't what most fans wanted from the group. The idea of the Atlanta metal band becoming too radio-friendly can't be good for their image, regardless of whether that notion has any true merit. Maybe songs like "Curl of the Burl" were a bit too soft for the Leviathan fans at heart, but "Spectrelight" sounds like prime Mastodon any way you shape it. The song burst through the opening like every crash of thunder cliche you can call it, drums and guitar roaring, almost unstoppable, making you forget any of the album's lighter moments. 



We'll continue tomorrow with songs #15 - #11 ...

Bears and Bullets Albums of the Year: Pt. V

We'll continue today with our top 25 countdown with albums #5 through #1.

#5: Fucked Up - David Comes to Life
In all honesty, the concept album isn't my thing. Too often the ideas of a concept album sweep away what could have been multiple tracks of endearing music, instead playing the hand of a story that isn't terribly interesting to begin with it. That's why 'essential' records like Tommy, Quadrophenia, The Wall, and Sgt. Peppers, for all their massive critical acclaim, don't truthfully pass through time as well as their super-fans would like to admit. Daring? Sure. But so was the first 'Tron' movie, and that looks terrible now. 

So, I had every right in my mind to be skeptical of Fucked Up's David Comes to Life project; a huge double-album about the omniscient David character and the pre-meditated sequence of events that follow upon meeting Veronica (both are identified in the album's second track "Queen of Hearts"). The problems that the band avoids is in their hardcore nature. While the song-writing is vital to the idea, Fucked Up thankfully understood that their punk sounds come first and foremost, not endlessly dragging through the four parts that make up the album. It almost feels like David Comes to Life destroys the concept of the concept album, playing with hearts instead of just minds.

#4: The Weeknd - House of Balloons
The man who should be on everyone's shortlist for Best Artist of 2011, Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, released three free records this year as part of a trilogy. Thursday and Echoes of Silence (released two days ago) were the final pieces, but it was his February debut House of Balloons that truly came out of no where to land him where he is right now, the best new voice in pop. Luckily, Tesfaye's edge isn't simply his voice, but his drippy, enriching production setting the pace for all three albums. The sampling is noticeable, like Beach House's "Master of None" on the seven-minute-plus "The Party & The After Party," but aren't the the most attachable portions of House of Balloons. That's Tesfaye's job, which comes through effortlessly and is hard to match.

#3: Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
Hip-hop too often settles with good, or just good enough. While some parts of the product remain pre-eminently consistent, truly pushing the boundaries isn't thought of as a necessary notion of the genre, it seems. For every great record that leaks through, there's another that just seems good, or passable, but not terribly imaginative. With the combined work of Ishmael Butler (ex-Digable Planets member) and Tendai Maraire, Black Up, the first studio release from Shabazz Palaces, is some of the smartest, most intricate, and deeply profound work the genre has seen in years. The narratives are existential tomes of race, materialism, and atmospheric elements only engraved in the deepest caverns of thoughtful construct. Combined with the other-worldly sounds the duo work with, and Black Up proudly comes out as one of the most imaginative efforts in recent memory.

#2: Bon Iver - Bon Iver
If there's one phrase that works for Bon Iver's self-titled release, it's "embarrassingly good." From the album's roaring opening, "Perth," to the slightly confusing, but heartwarming "Beth/Rest" (some won't agree with that), Bon Iver is too good even for the common cynic to thoughtlessly ignore. The sounds are too rich, Justin Vernon's voice is too sentimental, the craft is too perfect, the consistency is ... too consistent.

Every album has it's impossibly high moments ("Perth," "Holocene"), but rarely do they truly separate from the rest of the record, as it does here. From "Michicant" to "Calgary" to the aforementioned "Beth/Rest," fanfare is split to where the record stands tallest. But that distinction says more for Bon Iver's overall quality than anything else. It's a question worth asking, even if there's no direct answer.

#1: M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Expectations were pretty high for Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, M83's sixth studio release in ten years. The previous records were consistently formative, but usually ended up plateauing after a couple remarkable singles ("Run Into Flowers," "Kim & Jessie," etc.) There always seemed to be an innate ability for Anthony Gonzalez to not only replicate those stand-out moments, but captivate them with something bigger, something that required more time. And it's pretty easy to see how big Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is; nearly 80 minutes and two albums worth of material. You'd figure Gonzalez would fizzle somewhere.

The album scorches in the opening, with "Intro," "Midnight City," and "Reunion" - three tracks that have already marked their way through the past few weeks as singles, and the expectations are pretty much met. That pitch-perfect manifestation of imagination and childhood enchantment Gonzalez has a complete knack for are packaged in what could be perceived as a deluxe issue, unrelenting and unconscious. It's hard not to get completely lost on the first or second listen, but that's what a perfect record should do. It needs to be so good you don't care about anything else.



We'll continue next week with our Top 25 Songs of the Year ...

All the Bon Iver deluxe videos

As mentioned Monday, Bon Iver is planning to release the deluxe edition of last spring's self-titled mega album (mega in quality, not quantity) with new pairing videos for each of the album's ten tracks. For those not looking for any of that pricey crap, the band released all of the videos today on their Youtube page. Or, you know, watch them below.

Bon Iver - Perth



Bon Iver - Minnesota, WI



Bon Iver - Holocene



Bon Iver - Towers



Bon Iver - Michicant



Bon Iver - Hinnom, TX



Bon Iver - Wash.



Bon Iver - Calgary



Bon Iver - Lisbon, OH



Bon Iver - Beth/Rest

Monday Bears: New Bon Iver video - Hinnom, TX

As part of the deluxe-edition re-release of last spring's self-titled effort, Bon Iver has accompanied each of the album's ten tracks, including this new one for "Hinnom, TX," of a snowy setting sun. Which is also the first time I've said that phrase.

Bon Iver - Hinnom, TX

Bon Iver on Jools Holland

Last we heard from Jools Holland it was Girls' frontman Christopher Owens going off about how his band gets frequently denied play opportunity and how Lana Del Rey got a spot for no reason. But, that doesn't matter, Bon Iver's performance of "Towers" does.

Bon Iver - Towers (Live on Jools Holland)

Wednesday Bears: Bon Iver + James Blake = Fall Creek Boys Choir

A little late here because at this point in the blog world who hasn't heard James Blake's and Bon Iver's collaboration on "Fall Creek Boys Choir"?

It must be some Kanye West wet dream fantasy at this point, because I'm not sure what two artists combining their efforts could possibly be more 2011. Listen to the song below and grab the single August 29 on Itunes.

New Bon Iver video - Holocene

In support of the upcoming release of Bon Iver's "Holocene" 12", courtesy of 4AD Records, the group has released the newest video from their self-titled album. Directed by Nabil (just Nabil, no other name?), the video is an Icelandic sweater adventure that's not a Sigur Ros (miss you guys) video.

The "Holocene" 12" is due out September 5.

Bon Iver - Holocene

Set Sail's cover of "Calgary"

There isn't much to say about Set Sail's cover of Bon Iver's "Calgary.". It's well-shot, well-done, and is worth your time.

Set Sail - Calgary (Bon Iver Cover) - Live in Teufelsberg, Germany

Thursday Bears: Top 10 Albums of 2011 ... so far (Pt. I)

Well, summer is underway and 2011 is already past its midpoint. So, like most other music blogs out there, I figure I’d take a stab at what I feel are the best albums of the year so far.

10: Bon Iver - Bon Iver

9: Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

8: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong

7: The Antlers - Burst Apart

6: Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread

Wednesday Bears: Bon Iver on Fallon ... again.

One night after Bon Iver made his Colbert Report debut, Justin Vernon and Co. marked the debut of their self-titled album by returning to the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon stage. If this sounds familiar, it's because Vernon was on the same stage a couple weeks ago to perform his melody cover of "I Can't Make You Love Me/In the Nick of Time."

This time around, the whole group was around to perform "Holocene," as the whole aura of Bon Iver continues to climb at an astounding rate. You can watch both Fallon and Colbert performances below, as well as stream the studio version of "I Can't Make You Love Me/In the Nick of Time," courtesy of We All Want Someone to Shout For.

Bon Iver - Holocene (Live on Fallon)



Bon Iver - Interview/Calgary (Live on the Colbert Report)

Bon Iver - Skinny Love (Bonus Performance on the Colbert Report)