Bon Iver by Bon Iver
Justin Vernon (the man behind the pseudonym Bon Iver) buried himself in a cabin to create his first album, For Emma, Forever Ago. It was a beautiful album, pairing luscious folk music with gritty whispering, and it ended up being one of the best albums of 2008. It took him nearly three whole years to follow up with a second album, but patience was rewarded for those who waited. Vernon named his second album Bon Iver, which makes sense, because he has seemed to really come into his own as an artist. He is no longer a novelty, but a true visionary. His songs are much larger in scope, while sacrificing none of the minimalistic qualities that got him noticed. His lyrics are as beautifully cryptic as they’ve ever been. and it’s great to see he made it out of the cabin alive.
Write About Love by Belle & Sebastian
Belle & Sebastian is a band where there is much more than meets the eye… And not just because there are actually six members, in which none of whom have the name Belle or Sebastian. They produce sugar-coated pop songs that are as catchy as they are full of life, but they also have something deeper on their mind. In “Calculating Bimbo” the narrator chastises a woman for always relying on him to help her out, not her strong and rich boyfriend. In “Write About Love” the band gets meta and declares that sometimes the best way to cope with the fact that life can be a drag is to just write songs about love. With Belle & Sebastian, they don’t need a name to give insight to who they really are. They already do that in spades through their songs.
