Kanye West feat. Bon Iver: "Lost in the World"

Juke Box Hero joins us with your weekly dose of indie cred -- this time pairing Bon Iver's Justin Vernon with rapper Kanye West. What will they think of next?

Collaboration is the seed of evolution. The combination of two unique entities creates something new that’s a step forward, unique unto itself. (Ok, I’m not talking about making babies, though there are obvious ties.) When two artists work together, especially coming from different genres, their joint creation often surpasses and transcends anything either may have created alone. That’s part of the beauty of art: its inherent room for experimentation and evolution.

It shouldn’t surprise many that I’m following that last lofty sentence with one that includes the name Kanye West. Say what you will about ‘Yeezy’ – and many have said not-so-savory things – but despite all his antics, the man draws from an inexplicably deep well of creative force. From his throwback R&B-chipmunk sampling as a Jay-Z producer, to today's jam, a live cross-genre sampling with Bon Iver’s Grammy-winning Justin Vernon, for a track on his also-Grammy-winning album My Dark Twisted Fantasy, Yeezy's career has been filled with unusual match-ups.

With the Bon Iver teaming in particular, Mr. West put on a decidedly indie hat – though jury’s out on how he’d actually look in a trucker. His "Lost in the World" cut features the backbone of Bon Iver’s "Woods," which appears not on the group’s breakthrough record For Emma, Forever Ago, but on the less popular EP Blood Bank. Hipster cred, yo! Vernon’s already auto-tuned falsetto seems pre-suited to various pairings, but to feature prominently on the final cut of what would be the biggest rap album of the year, if not the last decade? Where did that come from? What was West thinking? Probably that Vernon and Bon Iver would end up where they have, fresh off their Grammy win for Best New Artist – add visionary to the Yeezy’s resume. Who of his peers would’ve chosen to collaborate with a folksy indie crooner?

But more than just a sample, West and Vernon created a new song together, combining the unique strengths of each. West’s lyrical laundry list of dichotomies seems to highlight the unlikely pairing of artists, and yet, the song works with Vernon’s melancholy siren sustaining and growing; it all drives forward, develops into an infectious tribal beat that no one – indie, rap, country, classical – can resist.

Maybe I’m just a naïve idealist, but in this Coachella performance, it at least appears as if true musical collaboration happens in real time. More than just live sampling, Vernon and West actually look to be feeding off of each others' energy in true duet form. It’s hard to believe that Kanye could give up that much performance independence, even to a Grammy winner, but maybe even Mr. Gay Fish understands what it takes to evolve the species.

Bon Iver: "Skinny Love"

Juke Box Hero is with us today to weigh in on this year's two-time Grammy winner and Best New Artist, Bon Iver.

I suppose I should call Bon Iver (Justin Vernon – yes, there are other band member, but it’s basically him) a game-changer. When was the last time, since Prince, a male musician has been so popular while singing mostly in falsetto? And no, Adam Levine’s full voice doesn’t count. It seems like it shouldn’t be something to get worked up about, but they are unusual – Vernon's whiny-Auto-Tuned vocals – and they don’t always gel so nicely with the more mellow tones of his guitar. But people have been digging it, I’m digging it, so let’s go with it.

And when I say people are digging it, I mean really digging it. The man, despite hisown hesitation at being involved at all, walked away with not one, but TWO of music’s biggest awards this weekend. Bagging Best New Artist doesn’t surprise me as much as Best Alternative Album for Bon Iver. Alternative? Really? How wide a net were they casting here? Folk, yes; country, maybe; but Alt? He ‘collaborated’ on Kanye’s Dark Twisted Fantasy, so why not have him leapfrog Yeazy for Best Rap Album? Does that also make him a game-changer, or just an example of a confused awards organization? Does Vernon really belong under the Alternative umbrella with Thom Yorke, Kurt Cobain, and Dave Grohl? How big is this umbrella anyway? It’s as if, with all the genre cross-breeding going on these days, rather than get more specific about what each artist sounds like, we’re content to place someone on the team where they somewhat resemble the archetype.

Perhaps the Grammys are too inflated. The debate isn’t new and I don’t have much to add to it, but the fact that Vernon could win for Best Alternative Album just shows how mixed up the industry and fans are about the state of genre distinction. If something doesn’t fit inside the box, it’s probably better left out of it.

But what of today's video, "Skinny Love"?

I won't tell you Vernon’s whole story, about how he left a band, broke up with a girlfriend, contracted mono, then holed up in a Wisconsin cabin over a dreary winter to record what became his breakout record, For Emma, Forever Ago. His songwriting method was interesting, though; he wrote all the melodies first, later adding lyrics that were chosen for the way they sounded with the music rather than for being finely crafted poetry. Maybe they end up sounding like the latter anyway, but that’s apparently just coincidence. Or genius.

"Skinny Love," a cut from Emma, is a beautiful, emotional, loping jam – but a jam nonetheless. Vernon’s groove and melody are transfixing, and he does an incredible job of using his full range of instruments despite the stripped-down arrangement. It sticks with you, this song, like peanut butter to the roof of your aural mouth. It’s even been covered by petite pop pianist Birdy, though how could you improve on the song’s already warm, emotional intimacy?

I do wonder which Grammy Birdy would be nominated for… Best Classical-esque Cover of an Alternative Artist Who’s Really More Like Auto-Folk-Tune?

Daijams' Full Grammys 2012 Recap

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Daijams' Full Concert Tuesday to bring you...an even longer concert, interspersed with awards to some of America's (er, the music industry's) favorite artists! Let's recap the most-watched Grammy Awards since Michael Jackson's eight-category sweep in 1984.

In the 54th annual showcase of America's taste in music, there was much to be joyful about. As I mentioned yesterday, and as you've no doubt seen all over the Internets, the soul-wrenching British contralto Adele made a clean sweep, winning every category in which she was nominated for a total of six golden, wood-mounted gramophone statuettes, tying Beyoncé's record for the most wins by a female performer in one year. I just adore her photo shoot backstage, and look at how it compares to 2009's two (measly) wins:

    

GIRL YOU LOOK STUNNING! Left 2009; right 2012.

My roommates and I sat down to watch the Grammys about an hour and a half late on Sunday night, but thanks to the magic of DVR, it meant we got to skip previews and commercials and get right to the good stuff. We cuddled up and settled in for a dose of Americana. We weren't waiting long, as 62-year-old vintage American rocker Bruce Springsteen opened the evening with a performance of "We Take Care of Our Own." I'll be honest, most of Springsteen's songs sound much the same to me, and I feared a descent into boredom with yet another generic display of patriotism. But damn, who doesn't love the Boss? He's such a great musician, not to mention the fact that the guy is still standing on speakers, windmilling his guitar like a rock star. The 21-time Grammy winner deserved the room's standing ovation.

After host LL Cool J presented a somber Whitney Houston tribute, the Grammys continued with a healthy dose of exuberance, which was a relief -- we would honor both Whitney and the winners by celebrating the joy that music brings to our lives. "This night is bigger than any one of us," Mr. Cool J reminded us. "This night is about something truly universal and healing. This night is about music."  Kind of cheesy, but totally on point, and it was the host's finest moment of the night.

We were off to the races with Bruno Mars' performance of "Runaway Baby" off 2010's Doo-Wops and Hooligans. The 26-year-old rocked the house with his soulful voice, gold Dolce & Gabbana jacket and matching bow tie, and tight, low-impact choreography. My roommates and I agreed he was definitely singing live, as had the Boss, making the evening 2/2 thus far. Mars even got playful: "Tonight we celebrate music! Tonight we celebrate the beautiful Whitney Houston! So get off your rich asses and have some fun!" The rest, you might say, was James Brown.