One of Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver)'s favorite live gimmicks is to cover a song by a lesser-known acoustic artist. Recently, he covered "Coming Down," a track by Middlebury '04 grad Anais Mitchell, at an in-studio live performance at an Australian radio station; listen and download over at Stereogum.
In the past, Bon Iver has covered one of my favorite songs of all time, recent WRMC fave Sharon van Etten's "Love More"; hear his (not as great) cover here and the phenomenal original here. AND here is an exhaustingly comprehensive list of Bon Iver covers (thanks, Stereogum!); there are a few diamonds in the folk-rock rough. Covers are always tricky ground, and I wouldn't say Bon Iver has mastered the delicate craft of making another's song one's own...Swedish-Argentine singer-songwriter Jose Gonzalez has though. Have you heard his wonderful acoustic rendition of fellow Swedes the Knife's "Heartbeats"? If not, get thee to this link immediately!
Don't forget to check out Anais Mitchell's new album Young Man In America and Sharon van Etten's stunning third record Tramp, both on Rotation here at WRMC!
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