Review: Blood Bank EP

OMG did you know he wrote For Emma, Forever Ago in a cabin?

Yes. I own the internets too.

Justin Vernon’s story is as infamous as Robert Ford at this point, so I won’t even breach the topic. Today, I’ll talk about the music; specifically, the much anticipated Blood Bank EP. Those familiar with the LP will feel right at home as the first song (and title track) rolls back the curtains on the four track EP. It comes as no surprise then that this first song was written in the midst of the For Emma sessions. You remember, that whole cabin story. It’s a beautifully moving song; a perfect segue from the somber folk melodies of the LP. Where For Emma carried the weight of loss and coping with it, Blood Bank says get over it, move on, be a man. And Justin Vernon takes heed of his own sentiments. His vocals on the first three songs are beautiful, but there is a palpable feeling of growth in him. Singing that first song, Vernon’s voice sounds older, more direct, more confident. And the lyrics throughout the EP are irreverent, about as inconsequential as a Fleet Foxes song. And I love it for that.

The next two songs aren’t necessarily forgettable, but they do feel more like filler between the two standout tracks in the set. They are, however, Bon Iver, and so they beg comparison only to other Bon Iver. Vernon has achieved a remarkable thing with this band by creating a sound which is immediately identifiable as some brand of folk, but still sounds entirely new. So when someone asks me what Bon Iver sounds like, I have to reply, “I dunno…”

That is until I heard the fourth song, “Woods,” when I had to click over to Windows Media Player (yes, I am the last remaining patron of WMP) to make sure it hadn’t switched over to 808 and Heartbreak. Let me put this straight, I will never say, “that is a fantastic use of auto-tune technology.” Never. The closest I could have gotten to it was on For Emma when subtle moments of that quivering synthetic whisper managed to draw me in. I don’t know what it is about the robot voice that has people so enthused. Vernon said it was a chance for him to experiment, but I can’t see how turning up the auto-tune all the way up is experimenting so much as it is doing exactly what Kanye did a couple of months ago. Consolation: Vernon probably hadn’t heard the new Kanye yet when he wrote it.

All that being said, the song is still great. Would it have been great without the robot voice? Definitely. Would it have been better? I honestly can’t say. I have to give it to Bon Iver though: it is interesting. It catches the ear, and the a capella harmonies with a natural voice doing backing behind the manufactured voice is as compelling as anything he has done to date.

This gives me no faith in auto-tune, mind you, only faith in Bon Iver. My biggest fear is that this gives legitimacy to the machine and we’ll see more great singers pushing their voices through the electronic cheese grater.

Just wait for the day that he does a duet of “Hide and Seek” with Imogen Heap and we’ll be in robot heaven.

Verdict:
Bon Iver's Myspace Page: Full EP is streaming for a limited time.