i told you to be balanced, i told you to be kind

His real name is Justin Vernon, but doesn't "Bon Iver" just sound so much cooler?

Bon Iver @ the IMU Black Box Theater, Saturday, April 5

Susan and I have been listening to the sounds of Bon Iver for about the last three weeks or so, not necessarily by our own volition. (This is what comes from living with the director of SCOPE, I guess?) So, nothing against the man, but the initial thought that we had before heading down to the IMU yesterday night was "Thank god we'll finally get a rest from this for a while!"

I confess to not being too familiar with Bon Iver, but to me the band sounds like distant cousins of Joshua Radin, one of my favorite "rainy day" artists. I know that their one album was recorded while in seclusion up in the mountains, a process that has proven both successful (Walden) and not-so (the first, unheard draft of the second Panic At The Disco album). In general, For Emma, Forever Ago sounds like music for being alone on a mountaintop with, and that's a compliment, believe it or not.

I missed the three openers, but I can't say that I feel like I would have gotten a fuller concert experience than the one the headliners gave me all on their own. Bon Iver's performance, despite the whispery, falsettoed tone of his vocals, was muscled and impressive. Ironically enough, I went down to the show looking forward to not having to listen to Justin Vernon's voice again for a while, and came home needing Susan to transfer all of her music to my iTunes.

-Anna