By now you have probably heard about, if not already listened to, Kanye’s new album, which came out today. It’s a new sound for Kanye – a more ferocious sound – and you don’t need me to tell you it’s worth checking out.
As one of the more interesting and awesome collaborations going, Kanye continues to work with Justin Vernon, the voice and mind behind Bon Iver. Vernon’s distinct falsetto meshes particularly well with Kanye’s new music (“I’m In It” is awesome), but it was even more exciting to get an update into his own upcoming work. “Byegone” was released yesterday as the first single off of Repave, the forthcoming second album from Volcano Choir, Vernon’s side project with a post-rock band called Collections of Colonies of Bees. Volcano Choir’s 2009 debut was good, but difficult to listen to under normal circumstances. Though I don’t want to overanalyze one single, “Byegone” seems to take the band in a slightly different direction, and I like what I hear. It’s hard not to get excited over anything associated with the name Bon Iver, so we will just have to wait and see how this plays out.
The Mule King 