Good Winter - A music review on Bon Iver

Fluttering leaves from gnarly trees: check.
Shrieking neighbor kids on gray days: check.
Burning oak from billowing chimneys: check.

Yep, sure is that time of year again. And with the approach of the somber, bittersweet days of winter comes the quasi-religious devotion to my deities of folk. This means you Sufjan Stevens, Iron and Wine, Devendra Banhart, Fleet Foxes, Jose Gonzales, and Neko Case, to name a few. Yet, as the warmth of the sun slowly shifts to a different hemisphere, the warmth of the newly discovered voice of Justin Vernon fills my headphones, quickly sneaking his band, Bon Iver, into the ranks of my favorite folk musicians.
Bon Iver (pronounced Boney - vair) is loosely translated into "Good Winter" in French, perfectly reflecting the feel of Vernon's sobering falsetto vocals. If it is possible to contemplate life while tapping your toes, Bon Iver will inspire it.
Their album, "For Emma, Forever Ago" was written by Vernon during a reclusive stay in a cabin in Wisconsin. When asked why he chose Wisconsin, he stated "...I knew that I wanted to be where it was cold." The pain of an illness and a recent break-up with his girlfriend is apparent in his performance and lyrics, forcing us into a momentary depression of empathy. Yet I don't look at Bon Iver's music as a downer, as much as an emotional vacation, which, after all, is the real reason we all listen to music.
So as we head into the dark days of Autumn and Winter, let us bask in the gloom of some powerful folk, tip our hat to the solstice, and wish each other a "Bon Hiver."

Antony and the Johnsons - Music Review

If you mixed Boy George, Elton John, the emotional crescendos of the worst Lifetime movies ever, a splash of orchestra, extreme vibrato and a whole lot of androgyny, you might come close to mimicking the tearful yet high-voltage sound of Antony and the Johnsons. While abrasive at first, Antony finds a way to pound into your frontal lobe and leave you laughing at the ridiculousness of his lyrics while humming the addictive chorus over and over.
His appearance is odd and alien to his own culture, but not unnerving. And when he sings, the spectator soon forgets Antony is wearing a shimmering, space nightgown, and falls into the trance of the peaks and valleys of his quivering vocals.
Maybe it's the carnal effect powerful orchestral sounds have on the emotions, or maybe its the feeling Antony puts into his performance, but I like to think it's his lack of shame, even pride, for who he is and what he represents. And rightly so, for what he does is truly amazing.

Yeasayer - Introduction and review

It's only seconds after the stage is surrendered that the four toe - tapping, loosely gyrating men break into an 80's - esque apocalyptic version of life in the future. The crew is an odd compilation of musical doppelgangers of the past, with uncannily familiar doubles of Buddy Holly on drums and Weird Al Yankovic on Bass.
"I can't sleep when I think about the times we're livin' in, I can't sleep when I think about the future I was born into." It's an eerie, representative theme that hangs on all of our minds, delivered by a staggering, violently convulsing lead singer.
While the stagecraft is pleasantly chaotic, the soothing, spiritual vocals and instrumentals take me to a place of order and rhythm, not to mention snap bracelets and hot pink trapper keepers.
In a desperate attempt to compartmentalize their music, Yeasayer is often compared to Brian Eno or The Talking Heads, but I realized after one experience, they are in a category all by themselves.