Thursday, November 11, 2010

Who is Justin Vernon?

As many of you know by now, Kanye's album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, is set to be released later this month, November 22nd to be exact.

The guest appearances read like a who's who in hip hop: Kid Cudi, Raekwon, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Swizz Beatz, Pusha T, and Nicki Minaj. The one name that you might not recognize is that of Justin Vernon, (or Bon Iver).

Justin appears on the song Monster, (which features Jay-Z, Rick Ross, and Nicki), kicking off the song with the lead in "I shoot the lights out", and finishing it off with "I'm heading home". Press play below, lyrics on the YouTube video...
That wasn't his only contribution, as Justin plays a much stronger role on the song Lost in the World. This song is a sample of his previously released, Woods which appeared on the Blood Bank EP. It's song #12 on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy's final tracklist, give it a listen...
To those of you unfamiliar, Justin is a major star in the indie-world. His For Emma, Forever Ago album was record of the year in 2008 for many fans and critics alike.

I first took note of him when I heard the track Skinny Love...

Bon Iver - Skinny Love
|Download

It's an emotion packed song, capturing the very essence of a difficult break-up. As a whole, the record encapsulates every emotion one can feel once love is lost, ending with the realization that, as bad as it hurts, the future offers the opportunity to pick up the pieces and start anew.

Justin's not your typical star; he's a humble dude from Wisconsin, most comfortable with a plaid shirt and a dirty beard. That's what makes this collaboration with Kanye all the more surprising. The guy goes back to his hometown to play concerts with his high school jazz band. He plays epic sunrise shows in cemeteries and he's just as comfortable playing Radio City Music Hall as he is playing with his side project during the middle of a massive kickball tournament. The point is, he's everything we hope we'd be if we were famous...

As a bonus, give his track Blood Bank a listen to get a little more acclimated...

Bon Iver - Blood Bank
|Download

1 comments:

Matthew Bradford November 24, 2010 at 5:44 PM  

Mikey, you didn't even let me know you were covering Bon! ROCK it!

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