Between collaborating with Kanye, reuniting his former bands, contributing guest vocals on other artists’ records, scoring a silent film, and a slew of other projects over the past few years, it was beginning to look like Justin Vernon hadn’t found a chance yet to record a follow-up to Bon Iver’s debut LP, For Emma, Forever Ago. Until today: Rolling Stone reports that Vernon’s sophomore Bon Iver record is in the can and scheduled for a June release.
“I brought in a lot of people to change my voice — not my singing voice, but my role as the author of this band, this project,” Vernon said of the 10-track effort, in which he recruited the great pedal-steel guitarist Greg Leisz, who has worked with everyone from Wilco to the Smashing Pumpkins, and saxophonist Colin Stetson, who has toured with Arcade Fire, Laurie Anderson, Tom Waits, and many others.
Each new LP cut represents a different geographical location, including a “Civil War-sounding heavy metal song” called “Perth,” an ode to Vernon’s childhood entitled “Minnesota Wisconsin,” and closing track “Beth/Rest,” which Vernon teased is “the part where you pick up your joint and re-light it.”