Blood Bank [EP]

New Year is all about two things – 1) The obligatory celebrations, alcohol and hangover, 2) A somber reflection on the past year’s successes and failures, and a time for redefinition and rebirth of one’s character. Whilst my New Year was notably lacking in a soundtrack to the party season, Bon Iver’s latest offering Blood Bank is the perfect backdrop for reflection.

For those yet to experience the delights of Bon Iver, they are the masters of soulful, raw music, an eclectic mix of genres featuring blues, country and experimental. Music boffins worldwide have credited them as one of the best bands of 2008, having taking spots in the top ten list of both Q and HypeMachine the previous year.

Title track ‘Blood Bank’ was originally intended to be included on For Emma, Forever Ago but the band felt it wasn’t suited to the theme of the album. Normally this would set off alarm bells in my head, warning me that the band has decided to make a quick EP on the back of their success to feed their behemoth label. This isn’t the case with Bon Iver. ‘Blood Bank’ starts the EP in marvelous fashion. A more uplifting track than many in Bon Iver’s previous repertoire, it highlights the fact that Vernon’s song craftsmanship can still be as expressive and poignant without verging on the manic depressive.

‘Beach Baby’ flaunts little more than an acoustic guitar and vocals, traditionally crafted like an ambient folk song of old. It’s tranquil feel and use of instrumentation portrays a feel of the care-free summer, a nice getaway from the stress and bitterness of winter. ‘Babys’ is the most innovative and creative track on the EP. A disjointed piano foundation, littered with discords, and vocal harmonies blend to create something distinctive, a small progression from the sound of their debut.

Final track ‘Woods’ is, without a doubt, the strongest track on the EP. An a cappella affair enriched with a simple vocader (not dissimilar to Imogen Heap’s ‘Hide and Seek’) creates an awe-inspiring experience. Justin Vernon’s vocals are magnificent and the vocal crescendo technique the band employ utilizes them to maximum effect.

Bon Iver deserve a lot of credit for producing such a high quality EP on the back of the success of their debut. It suffers minutely from the lack of progression in sound from last year’s release but the quality of the tracks is undeniably outstanding. The EP duly enhances Justin Vernon’s reputation as one of the budding songwriters of this generation.