Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) gathered his Wisconsin friends from the Collections of Colonies of Bees to make an unconventional, meandering record of guitar strings, choir swells, and electronic bleeps. On the aptly-titled Unmap, the music slowly unwinds and reveals a placeless beauty, somewhere in the void, where matter and sound are still taking shape, still fighting to combine with the emerging topography. The album cover implies a group of ancient, mysterious musicians and some sort of north woods escapism calling for large trees, heavy snows, endless nights, and gospel gatherings.
The opening sequence is perhaps the record's strongest passage. Check out opener "Husks and Shells," second track "Seeplymouth," and the video for the vivid "Island, IS." After releasing For Emma, Forever Ago, the best album of 2008, Vernon proves that his unique talents are more than a one-time creative accident. Indeed, Bon Iver's Blood Bank EP deserves serious praise as another fine recording in 2009.
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