New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On August 30th,
Bon Iver will release their fourth album, i,i, on Jagjaguwar. Recorded at Sonic Ranch in West Texas, and April Base in Wisconsin, the thirteen new songs on i,i complete a cycle: from the winter of For Emma, Forever Ago came the frenetic spring of Bon Iver, Bon Iver, and the unhinged summer of 22, A Million. Now, fall arrives early with i,i.
Two songs and lyric videos from i,i - "Hey, Ma" and "U (Man Like)" - were released in June, with two more - "Jelmore" and "
Faith" - out today.
"It feels very much like the most adult record, the most complete," says Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. "It feels like when you get through all this life, when the sun starts to set, and what happens is you start gaining perspective. And then you can put that perspective into more honest, generous work."
The core band for the i,i sessions included Sean Carey, Andrew Fitzpatrick, Mike Lewis, Matt McCaughan, and Justin Vernon with Rob Moose and Jenn Wasner, plus contributions from
James Blake, Brad and Phil Cook,
Aaron and Bryce Dessner, Bruce Hornsby, Channy Leaneagh, Naeem,
Velvet Negroni,
Marta Salogni, Francis Starlite, Moses Sumney, TU Dance, and many others.
When sessions for i,i moved from April Base to Sonic Ranch,
Bon Iver took full advantage of the facility, sometimes utilizing all five of the studio's live rooms simultaneously. "It allowed us to feel confident and comfortable, to be completely free of distraction," says Vernon of the move. "I don't think I left the property in six weeks. And in many ways the story of the album is the story of those six weeks rather than the almost six years of some of the songs."
The tenure at Sonic Ranch brought Vernon to a calmed creative state that he channeled into the heart of each song. Freed from the vocal distortion that once mirrored a period of fear and panic, he sings about the balance between the individual and the community, inspiration and creation. Vernon adds, "The title of the record can mean whatever it means to you or me. It can mean deciphering and bolstering one's identity. It can be how important the self is and how unimportant the self is, how we're all connected."
Following the release of i,i,
Bon Iver will tour the U.S. in
September and October, playing their largest venues to date. See a list of full dates below.
i,i Track List
Yi
iMi
We
Holyfields,
Hey, Ma
U (Man Like)
Naeem
Jelmore
Faith
Marion
Salem
Sh'Diah
RABi
Bon Iver
Sean Carey
Drum, Piano, Voice
Andrew Fitzpatrick
Synthesis, Guitar
Michael Lewis
Bass Guitar, Synths, Saxophone
Matt McCaughan
Drum, Synthesis
Justin Vernon
Guitar, Bass Guitar, Synths, Voice
feat. Rob Moose
Violin, Viola, Octave Viola, Piano, String, All "Worm Crew" Arrangements
feat. Jenn Wasner
Guitar, Synths, Voice
"Jelmore"
Produced by Chris Messina, Brad Cook, Justin Vernon, BJ Burton,
Buddy Ross
Engineered by Zach Hanson, Chris Messina, BJ Burton
Mixed by Zach Hanson, Chris Messina
Recorded at April Base + Sonic Ranch
Additional Musicians:
Buddy Ross - Messina
Trever Hagen - Prepared Trumpet f.
Brad Cook - Folktek Modified Omnichord
Writers: Justin Vernon,
Buddy Ross
Video:
Created/Produced/Directed by
Aaron Anderson and Eric Timothy Carlson
Artwork by
Aaron Anderson and Eric Timothy Carlson
Featuring: Alexis Staley (TU Dance)
"
Faith"
Produced by Chris Messina, Brad Cook, Justin Vernon, BJ Burton
Engineered by Zach Hanson, Chris Messina, BJ Burton
Mixed by Zach Hanson, Chris Messina
Recorded at April Base + Sonic Ranch
Additional Musicians:
Francis Starlite - Buchala
BJ Burton - TR-8
Brooklyn Youth Chorus with Bryce Dessner - Choral
Camilla Staveley-Taylor - Dist Vocals
Jenn Wasner - Choral
Sad Sax of Shit - Saxophones
Zach
Hanson - Keyboards
Buddy Ross - Keyboards
Aaron Dessner - Piano
Joe Westerlund - Shaker
Rob Moose - Violin, Viola, Octave Viola, String Arrangement, Worm Crew Arrangement, Conductor
Worm Crew - Horns
Eric Carlson,
Aaron Anderson, Brad Cook, Graham Tolbert, El Jerry, Chris Messina - Losers
Writers: Justin Vernon, Camilla Staveley-Taylor, BJ Burton, Francis Starlite
Video:
Created/Produced/Directed by
Aaron Anderson and Eric Timothy Carlson
Artwork by
Aaron Anderson and Eric Timothy Carlson
Featuring: Randall Riley & Taylor Collier (TU Dance)
Bon Iver Tour Dates
7/11 - Madrid, ES - Mad Cool Festival
7/13 - Oeiras, PT - NOS Alive
7/16 - Lyon, FR - Les Nuits De Fourvière
7/17 - Verona, IT - Castello Scaligero, Villafranca di Verona
7/19 - Wiesbaden, DE - Schlachthof
7/21 - Gräfenhainichen, DE - Melt Festival
8/31 - Missoula, MT - KettleHouse Amphitheater*
9/2 - Vail, CO - Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater∞
9/3 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre∞
9/4 - Salt Lake City, UT - Maverik Center∞
9/6 - George, WA - The Gorge Amphitheatre∞
9/7 - Vancouver, BC - Pacific Coliseum∞
9/10 - Portland, OR - Theater of the Clouds∞
9/12 - San Francisco, CA - Chase Center∞
9/15 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum∞
10/3 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel
Energy Center†
10/4 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena†
10/6 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena†
10/8 - Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center†
10/10 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center†
10/11 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center‡
10/15 - Boston, MA - TD Garden†
10/17 - Washington, DC - The Anthem†
10/18 - Washington, DC - The Anthem†
10/19 - Raleigh, NC - PNC Arena†
*w/ Indigo Girls
∞ w/ Sharon Van Etten
† w/ Feist
‡ w/ Yo La Tengo
