Taking a step in the direction of less 'extreme' forms of music, I've decided to talk about a track by Bon Iver. This track instantly satisfies my need for a smoother texture in music after listening to more of the 'hard' sounds in previous entries, The 'smoothness' comes from a clean guitar that washes over nothing more than a simple kick drum pulse. This provides the canvas for the vocals with nothing uncomfortable or distracting to compromise them. The overall effect is an extremely 'intimate' feeling piece of music.
There are certainly many layers activating at particular points in the track to frame the vocal lead. Backing vocals make their support throughout and the sound of guitar feedback takes the drone element of the music to the forefront in the conclusion. The drums are a subtle contributor to this piece, however, I feel like the choice to have the light touch of ride cymbal and pat of snare move in and out whilst not attracting too much attention adds an excellent element of additional intricacy. Without a doubt, this song is a 'grower' and makes excellent use of dynamics to build towards its conclusion.
A note should be made on the layering of vocals on this track. I feel like I'm always hearing at least two vocal tracks and at times, as many as three. Listening at 3:08, I particularly like the panning effect that differentiates these 'instances' of the vocal. You can hear the beginning and end of each voice separately, however each one occupies a different space in the stereo field also. They pan across your ears as they come in in harmony with each other. There's always a bit of distancing effect on the vocals (sounds like subtle reverb) but overall, the vocals are designed for multiplicity and intimacy.
And there's my thoughts for this track! Very refreshing sound for me to listen to. Here's some extra details for this entry. This was released on the Blood Bank EP in 2009 it was produced by Justin Vernon on the Jagjaguwar label.
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