It's such an obvious statement to make on a music blog, but I really appreciate artists who sound the same live as they do recorded. It just seems like that's so rare these days. And that's so unfortunate. We hold other industries to such high standards of truth and transparency that doesn't seem to be expected from musicians. That's not to say that I don't love and listen to artists that I KNOW don't have the natural talent that you hear listening to their albums. For example, I was completely disillusioned by Lana Del Ray's SNL appearance, but it hasn't stopped me from listening to Video Games or Blue Jeans. It's just that when it happens, I feel a bit cheated. There's just not enough honesty in music anymore, and that's the truth. So when I catch a video like this one of Bon Iver, I can't help but be touched. I feel respected as a music lover that I haven't been lied to, and for that reason I respect the artist all the more. Bon Iver's music is beautiful, it has substance and it's honest. And these shouldn't be unique characteristics of music. I've been fortunate enough to see some amazing live shows (The Rolling Stones, The Roots, Ellie Goulding, La Roux, LCD Soundsystem, The Tallest Man on Earth, to name a few) and through those experiences I can say that if a musician isn't good live, they're not a good musician. Isn't that the simplest idea?
Sunday, February 19, 2012
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