Fresh off his showing in the prestigious MAGNET Top 25 Albums Of 2008, Justin Vernon (a.k.a. Bon Iver) is back with Blood Bank, a four-song EP slated for a January 20 release on Jagjaguwar. No word on whether the scruffy troubadour went back to his cabin in the forest to record the new songs, although appropriately enough, the standout track is titled “Woods.” Rather than using a vocoder to mask his vocal deficiencies (we’re looking at you, Kanye), Vernon uses the voice-altering technology to construct a densely layered a capella performance guaranteed to send chills up your vertebrae. The other selections (“Blood Bank,” “Beach Baby” and “Babys”) hear Bon Iver return to the haunted, melancholy ground of For Emma, Forever Ago. Check it out for yourself at Bon Iver’s MySpace page, where the entire EP is streaming for a limited time. One final note: If you haven’t seen Vernon’s jaw dropping live rendition of Sarah Siskind’s “Lovin’s For Fools,” get your ass here to bear witness. Tour dates after the jump.
“Blood Bank” from Blood Bank:
https://magnetmagazine.com/audio/BloodBank.mp3
Bon Iver Tour Dates
01.15.09 – Perth, Australia – Fly By Night
01.17.09 – Brisbane, Australia – The Tivoli
01.18.09 – Melbourne, Australia – The Hi-Fi
01.19.09 – Melbourne, Australia – Forum Theatre
01.20.09 – Sydney, Australia – The Famous Spiegeltent
01.21.09 – Angel Place, Australia – City Recital Hall
01.22.09 – Sydney, Australia – The Famous Spiegeltent
01.23.09 – Sydney, Australia – The Famous Spiegeltent
01.24.09 – Angel Place, Australia – City Recital Hall
05.15.09 – Somerset, UK – Minehead – All Tomorrow’s Parties
05.18.09 – Brighton, UK – Dome – Brighton Festival
05.19.09 – Dusseldorf, Germany – Zakk
05.20.09 – Hamburg, Germany – Knust
08.12.09 – Oslo, Norway – OYA Festival 2009
