Lyrics from Beth/Rest

Bon Iver, an intentional misspelling of the French phrase "bon hiver" ("good winter"), is an indie folk band from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Originating as a solo project in 2006, Bon Iver is the product of Justin Vernon's (vocals, guitar) three-month winter hibernation in a cabin in rural Wisconsin after his previous group DeYarmond Edison broke up. Writing a significant amount of material in isolation, Vernon later recruited Michael Noyce (guitar, vocals), Sean Carey (drums, piano, vocals) and Matthew McCaughan (bass, drums, vocals). Sonically diverse, Bon Iver's emotional falsetto vocals hearken back to '70s soul and funk singers, while slow and steady tempos float along relaxed compositions. Moody orchestral additions are featured in their songs, however, folk-style acoustic guitars dominate above a backdrop of ambient hums. Bon Iver's debut LP For Emma, Forever was released in 2008 on Jagjaguwar Records and charted at #16 on the US Indie chart. Along with reaching gold status in Australia, Denmark and the UK; MOJO Magazine gave it a five star rating and deemed it an "instant classic." Success from the album sparked cross-over collaborations with Kanye West, Jay-Z, Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj. When Jagjaguwar released the eponymous Bon Iver LP in 2011, it soared to a #1 position in the US Indie chart and #4 in the UK national chart.