It was all about Bon Iver. Seriously, For Emma, Forever Ago is a good album but I sure wasn’t expecting him to be THAT good. Men playing acoustic guitars are generally a signal for me to escape to the bar, but Justin Vernon’s got the kind of voice that stops you in your tracks and commands your absolute attention. Aided by a drummer and guitarist, his material is given a rockier, more intense edge, the vocal harmonising is second-to-none and for a man who was headlining the 120-capacity Social later that week, he effortlessly managed to hold his own at the 2000-capacity Forum. In comparison, the newly expanded Iron and Wine (eight members!) came across as a little tepid- whilst Sam Beam’s trademark whispered vocals have their charm, the relentless jazz-rock jamming and soullessly smooth arrangements got tiresome after a while. Nice beard though.
(Photo: Max Tollworthy (Flickr))
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