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Music

Let Winter In with a Live Performance From Bon Iver

Justin Vernon's performance at NPR's 10th anniversary is chill in all senses of the word.
Lauren O'Neill
London, GB

Eventually you just have to succumb to winter. You can resist it all you want – heating on, pathological refusal to leave the house – but once Christmas comes a-knocking, you don't really have much choice but to embrace it.

One of the bands that always makes me think "you know what, yeah, winter mode" is Bon Iver. Since For Emma, Forever Ago was released, with its log cabin lore, winter has been an intrinsic part of Justin Vernon's brand, and for good reason. Across all his records, he's conjured languid but cosy sounding aural landscapes that sound especially good when they're plugged into your ears while you're walking around in the freezing cold, or wrapped up in bed when it's chilly outside. And, luckily for all of us as we head into the festive period which, for better or worse, can be a bit boring, there's a new video of him playing live for NPR's 10th Anniversary which sticks to his wintry formula. Watch it above.

Across 8 minutes, Vernon plays his 2014 single "Heavenly Father," and a heartbreakingly fragile cover of Leon Russell's "A Song for You." It's chill in every sense of the word, and will make you want to wrap up warm and huddle in front of an open fire or something else seasonal. Highly recommended when the hubbub of the season gets a bit much.

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