Bon Iver

The Ten Best Concerts in New York This Week, 4/8/13

Here are the 10 best shows around the city this week, in no particular order.

Spring Arts Guide Picks: Dance

The Antlers, Grizzly Bear, and Sleigh Bells - Terminal 5 - 12/14/12

Better than:Cinderella "It feels amazing to be here tonight," the Antlers' Peter Silberman announced to a packed Terminal 5 on Friday night. "This is such a well-put-together event." It felt pretty amazing for me, too, since up until an hour previously I didn't think I was going to get on the press ... More >>

The Ten Best Concerts in New York This Week, 12/3/12

Here are the ten best concerts around the city this week, in no particular order.

Bon Iver Fave Poliça Give You The Ghost At Webster Hall Tomorrow Night

When Poliça packed up their microphones, looping pedals, guitars, horns and drum kits and commenced with the touring efforts following Give You The Ghost's Valentine's Day release earlier this year, the Minneapolis electro-groove outfit was, arguably, getting to know their first record on the same ... More >>

Live: Tallest Man On Earth Gets Intimate In Times Square

Tallest Man on Earth Town Hall NYC Tuesday, June 19 Better than: Times Square's neon-lit maximalism. Halfway through his set at Town Hall last night, Kristian Matsson—also known as Tallest Man on Earth—set his acoustic guitar down and clumsily stumbled to the other side of the stage, ... More >>

This Weekend In New York: Wild Yaks, The Death Set, Woods, And Crystal Stilts Get No Sleep In Brooklyn

In Waste Of Paint, our writer/artist team of Jamie Peck and Debbie Allen will review goings-on about town in words and images. This weekend, Waste Of Paint caught four rather different bands united by their status as beloved standbys of the Brooklyn DIY scene. It also marked the beginning of uncomf ... More >>

Live-Blogging The 2012 Grammys: Tributes, Tribulations, Skrillex, And The Return Of Adele

via Cats Who Look Like SkrillexWill this cat win Best New Artist?​Welcome to Sound of the City's liveblog of the 54th Annual Grammys, coming to you live from a couch in Astoria. There are quite a few questions lurking around tonight's ceremony. Will Adele sweep the three major categories in wh ... More >>

Running The Numbers: The Four-Disc, 73-Track Bob Dylan Covers Comp With Miley, Ke$ha, Lenny, And Many Others

​Today Amnesty International releases Chimes Of Freedom, a really, really huge compilation of bob Dylan covers by artists both canonized and obscure. Trying to analyze such a huge undertaking can only be done in one way: Mathematically. Amount of music in this collection: 73 songs on four CD ... More >>

Pazz & Jop Comments: Top 10-Plus

The year's big albums, from tUnE-yArDs on down

Pazz & Jop Comments 2011: The Personals

Feelings, whoa-whoa-whoa

The 11 Most Infuriating Songs Of 2011, No. 3: [White Person], [White Person Cutely/Seriously Performing Urban-Radio Hit]

The Songs: Karmin, "Super Bass" and "Look At Me Now" and way too many others; Mac Lethal, "Cook Wit Me Now"; Jackson Foote and friends, "Get Low"; Sophia Grace, "Super Bass"; probably more that are shooting up the Reddit charts right now. The Crimes: Anti-pop snobbery; humorlessness in the name of ... More >>

The 11 Most Infuriating Songs Of 2011, No. 2: Lana Del Rey, "Video Games"

The Song: Lana Del Rey, "Video Games." The Crimes: Irritated-alley-cat vocals; overwrought harps; fundamental misunderstanding of whether or not ironic critique of male-female mores can exist in the Hipster Runoff age; this poor girl's right thigh. In 2011 the phrase "Lana Del Rey" wasn't just the ... More >>

The 11 Most Infuriating Songs Of 2011, No. 1: Jessie J Featuring B.o.B, "Price Tag"

Ahhhh!! ​The Song: Jessie J, "Price Tag" The Crimes: Using what might be the entirety of her label's marketing budget to convince the world that she actually functions on a higher, post-capitalistic level; "video hos"; "ch-chang-cha-chang"; "bla-bling-bla-bling." The year's most grueling pop ... More >>

The 11 Most Infuriating Songs Of 2011, No. 5: Rihanna, "S&M"

The Song: Rihanna, "S&M" The Crimes: Dressing a bloodless ode to kink up by saying it's actually about the media? Na na na na na na, come on, girl. Pop stars need their personas as much as they need the songs that take them to the top of the charts—and lest you think that need exists in a va ... More >>

The 11 Most Infuriating Songs Of 2011, No. 4: Brian McFadden, "Just The Way You Are (Drunk At The Bar)"

The Song: Brian McFadden, "Just The Way You Are (Drunk At The Bar)" The Crimes: Setting sexual assault fantasies to the dulcet strains of "Cotton Eyed Joe," as remixed by a David Guetta clone. As has been the case for too many years now, 2011's year-end polls have ended in a wave of proclamations ... More >>

The 11 Most Infuriating Songs of 2011

More reasons to turn off the radio

The 11 Most Infuriating Songs Of 2011, No. 8: Tyler, The Creator, "Bitch Suck Dick"

The Song: Tyler, The Creator, "Bitch Suck Dick" The Crimes: Ugh. There really is no winning when one discusses the output of Tyler, The Creator, the leader of the West Coast hip-hop collective Odd Future, a skateboard-riding LA dude who this year showed the world that he loved the Neptunes and his ... More >>

The 11 Most Infuriating Songs Of 2011, No. 7: Maroon 5 Featuring Christina Aguilera, "Moves Like Jagger"

​The Song: Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera, "Moves Like Jagger" The Crimes: Profligate whistling, misplaced sass, wholly unsexy instruction to "take [Levine] by the tongue." Earlier this year, both Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera were coming off what might be called "soft landings"—th ... More >>

Underwhelmed And Overstimulated, Part Seven: The Sorrows (And Fantastic Sound System) Of Young Drake

Shhh... He's thinking. ​Sound of the City's year-end roundtable, with contributions from Tom Ewing, Eric Harvey, Maura Johnston, Nick Murray, and Katherine St. Asaph, continues. Follow along here. Look, it's what I've been dreading talking about all year! Anyway. For the past hour, Maura, I'v ... More >>

Underwhelmed And Overstimulated, Part IV: The Joys Of Nicola Roberts And The Problem With Odd Future

Nicola Roberts, having herself a lucky day with the Village Voice.​Sound of the City's year-end roundtable, with contributions from Tom Ewing, Eric Harvey, Maura Johnston, Nick Murray, and Katherine St. Asaph, continues. Follow along here. Hey all. Again, thanks to Maura for putting this ... More >>

Underwhelmed And Overstimulated, Part I: Was 2011 The Worst Year For Music Ever?

A number one song from 2011. Not really helping the year's case, this.​Welcome to the 2011 edition of the Sound of the City Year-End Critic Roundtable, an epistolary back-and-forth about the year in music between five observers of the medium: Tom Ewing; Eric Harvey; Nick Murray; Katherine St. ... More >>

Underwhelmed And Overstimulated, Part II: PJ Harvey, Jessie J, And The Post-Pop Character Landscape

​ Sound of the City's year-end roundtable, with contributions from Tom Ewing, Eric Harvey, Maura Johnston, Nick Murray, and Katherine St. Asaph, continues. Follow along here. Thanks Maura! And hello Nick, Katherine and Eric. Post-megasales megastars? Beyoncé and Gaga fit the bill, for certa ... More >>

Chuck Eddy Gets Collected

The Devil's advocate speaks in Rock And Roll Always Forgets

Free Fallin' With John Mayer: Spotify's Most Popular Songs Of The Past Five Decades

Long were the days when my nights when my days once revolved around you.​ Cool Spotify timewaster of the day: If you search for "year:xxxx-xxxx" the browser will display the most popular songs released in that range in descending order. So what does this tell us about, say, this morning's heal ... More >>

Q&A: Gabriel Kahane On Distracted Listening, Internet Addiction, And The Golden Age Of Pop That Was 2003

​This week in the Voice I profiled the Brooklyn composer-songwriter-singer-multiinstrumentalist Gabriel Kahane, whose new album Where Are The Arms (Second Story Sound) is being celebrated at Littlefield next Wednesday. A couple of days before our chat, he posted a provocative rant on Spotify a ... More >>

Chicago

Jack White And Stephen Colbert Will Turn The High Line Into A Record Store Later This Morning

​This week the late-night yuk/yakfest The Colbert Report has had all musically inclined guests, with performances by Bon Iver, Florence The Machine, and Talib Kweli; last night the host took his turn when he handled vocal duties on "Charlene II: I'm Over You," a collaboration with the Jack W ... More >>

Rob Gorski Bought Rabbit Island, Hopes to Turn It Into Mini-Manhattan Artist Utopia

We have to go back​On jury duty one day last year, New Yorker Rob Gorski, who lives on the Lower East Side, found an island for sale on Craigslist. The 91 acres in Lake Superior three miles north of Michigan are called Rabbit Island and Gorski purchased the land with a plan, which has since bl ... More >>

Long Live The Funk? Big Boi Drops By Modest Mouse's Studio

​ Today in "parties you weren't invited to" news: It appears that Outkast's Big Boi has been hanging out with Modest Mouse, who are working on their upcoming album, this week. In a series of tweets, Daddy Fat Sax announced that he-- and Grammy-winning producer Chris "Mouche" Carmouche--had be ... More >>

WNBC Blows The Lid Off The Whole Auto-Tune Story

"From Ke$ha to Indie singer Bon Iver to reality sensations like Rebecca Black and Real Housewife Kim Zolciak," notes WNBC reporter Katie Tur, "artists across the board are using Auto-Tune -- that handy audio tool that makes even the most dreadful voices sound musical -- and other devices to either s ... More >>

American Idol Season 10, Top 11: The Freaky Rictus Smile of Thia Megia

This person has no idea what Motown is. Photo courtesy Michael Becker/ FOX. ​Since last we spoke, Karen Rodriguez has gone back to MySpaceLand, Steven Tyler's wardrobe has grown impressively more absurd, and Jacob Lusk has bodied the fuck out of Heart's "Alone." I missed the last week of Ameri ... More >>

American Idol, Season 10: Not Heartwarming-Sad, Just Sad-Sad

Beware of this dude's absolutely appalling sincere faces. Photo by Michael Becker/FOX.​Tonight, we see the new American Idol judging cadre venture to Milwaukee, I place I don't consider a real city because I can't name any rappers from there. (Bon Iver doesn't count.) We open with Steven Tyler ... More >>

The 10 Best Posse Cuts of 2010 (So Far)

​Posse cuts are like friendlier versions of the WWE's Royal Rumble -- a platform designed to showcase all of the stars in the game, both up-and-coming and certified. Think back to the Main Source's 1991 "Live At The Barbecue," featuring Akinyele, Joe Fatal, and the debut of a rapper named Nas, ... More >>

The 10 Best Verses From Kanye West's Good Friday Project, So Far

​As sustained, goodwill-generating rap publicity stunts go, Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Fridays series is almost entirely without precedent. Other rappers, guys like Freeway and Crooked I, have given away free music in regular installments, but those guys are B-listers and supporting players, and th ... More >>

Live: GAYNGS Bring Justin Vernon, Sax Solos to the Music Hall of Williamsburg

Photos by Shoshanah TarkowOne heck of a Minneapolis "Musical Super-Family." Better than: a sax solo, by any other name GAYNGS is not a small concept. The slow-jammin' Minneapolis collective, led by Ryan Olson, is a rotating crew of 23 musicians that includes Zack Coulter and Adam Hurlburt of So ... More >>

Announcing the Jagjaguwar/Secretly Canadian/Dead Oceans CMJ Label Showcase

Small Black at the Cake Shop during CMJ 2009​Our pals at Jagjaguwar pass along the lineup for their CMJ showcase next month, featuring recent YIMBY darling Lia Ices, local muted pop savants Small Black, tightlipped Montreal whisper-disco purveyors Suuns, Bon Iver drummer S. Carey, and the glit ... More >>

GOOD Friday: Kanye West, Bon Iver, Rick Ross, Jay-Z & Nicki Minaj All a "Monster"

​"Okay, first things first, I eat your brains." That's Nicki Minaj in her climactic verse on "Monster," the latest track transmitted directly from Kanye West to the internet. The song will be part of the upcoming Jay-Z and Kanye West "5 song album" entitled Watch the Throne. Here we have the m ... More >>

'C' IS FOR CYRUS

Miley's musical taste inspires a cabaret

Tonight! Andrew W.K. With Angel Deradoorian (She Of Dirty Projectors), Fester (He Of The Addams Family), And Peter Gabriel

​This is your Monday night: Choose from Andrew W.K., Fester from the Addams Family, and Peter Gabriel, a confluence slightly more random than M.I.A. provoking ginger genocide last week. At Santos Party House, W.K. and friends (including Angel Deradoorian of Dirty Projectors) are uniting for th ... More >>

Justin Bieber Tops MGMT, Plus An Analysis Of The Best-Selling (Well, Maybe) Record Store Day Singles

​This week's album chart has in its first two positions the two biggest stories in pop music last week. Once again, the pole position was assumed by Canadian teenager Justin Bieber, whose first full-length, My World 2.0, sold 92,000 copies--only the second time this year that the No. 1 album h ... More >>

Live: St. Vincent (and David Byrne, and Bryce Dessner, and the Bon Iver Dude) Invade the Allen Room

Good audio, lousy video, though it does seem as though she's floating in midair. St. Vincent Allen Room Friday, January 29 "Well this is just dreadfully pleasant," deadpans Annie Clark, summing it all up expertly, as usual. St. Vincent is holding court in the prettiest venue in NYC, vista-wise, t ... More >>

Parsing the Record Sales of Pitchfork's Top 10 Albums of the Year

​Matthew Perpetua posts the numbers behind one of the more visible/influential year-end lists out--so what do they mean? Well, for one thing, the once and future Brooklyn triumvirate of Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, and Dirty Projectors really sold records. About 300K of them, to be exact-- ... More >>

Liturgy Are Somehow Playing the New Yorker Festival

​ The New Yorker Festival, the annual and upwardly-mobilely priced arts and culture series, has announced most of its 2009 line-up. The relevant, music-related graf in the press release: "Pop-music offerings will include interviews with and performances by Neko Case, Bon Iver, Steve Earle, an ... More >>

Stream 'Dark Was The Night' From Radio City

NPR is currently streaming the majority of May 3rd's Dark Was the Night concert, featuring the Dirty Projectors, David Byrne, Bon Iver, Feist, etc. This was the show that so moved Byrne that he later wrote it was "an exciting time" in music: "Maybe it's the headiness of being surrounded by so many c ... More >>

Live: Vetiver Take It Easy at the Bowery Ballroom

Vetiver in 2008. Photo by Alissa Anderson"We're precautious," Vetiver frontman Andy Cabic announced in his velvety near-whisper from the Bowery Ballroom stage to a sparse but appreciative Sunday night crowd. No doubt most indie rockers with deep pockets were uptown at Radio City Music Hall with Bon ... More >>

Please Let the Auto-Tune Jokes End: A Brief History of the Pitch-Correcting Software's Legacy

If Auto-Tune hit its peak as a joke delivery device last week amidst the spectacle of a weirdly robotic Katie Couric involuntarily singing an "O Superman"-reminiscent lament for melting polar ice caps, it also hit its nadir at about the same time, when a tape surfaced of an Auto-Tuned Martin Luthe ... More >>

Bon Iver: Digital Love, Analog Grief

Justin Vernon wins this year's battle of the heartbroken, Kanye's histrionics notwithstanding

The Top 20 (and Far Beyond)

Big year for metal, hip-hop, and Paul Simon/pigfucker reconciliation

Photos: Black Mountain, Bon Iver, Children at Glasslands [02.23.08]