Won over by
the Collections Colonies of Bees
' 2004 album,
Customer
,
Justin Vernon
(aka
Bon Iver
) recruited the post-rock group's
Jon Mueller
Jim Schoenecker
Chris Rosenau
Daniel Spack
, and
Thomas Wincek
to back him up in a side project titled
Volcano Choir
. The name is a fitting description of the band's sound, which is at times hushed and introspective, and at other times explosive with epic, anthemic harmonies. 2013's
Repave
picks up where 2009's
Unmap
left off, and marks a nice direction for
Vernon
.
's last official outing in 2011 had tendencies to crush itself under its own weight, and was layered with overdubs to the point of falling flat, but aspects of
hark back to the raw subtleties that made
For Emma, Forever Ago
such a heartbreaking and inviting debut. "Alaskans" is a good example of how the purity of
's voice is enough to lead a song to great heights, with only some acoustic guitar, twinkling piano, and ambient sounds behind him.
The Collections Colonies of Bees
smartly play up his singing strengths with subtle accompaniment, adding just enough rudder in the water to steer his songs. The three years that it took to finish the writing process obviously cemented the chemistry between
and the bandmembers, who have become more comfortable departing from their post-rock roots as
Pele
to concentrate on working cinematic, minimalist backing nuances into the songs, rather than filling them with mathy grooves.
is anything but showy. It's a pretty type of album that washes over you, made up of slow burners that melt like hot wax. ~ Jason Lymangrover