Bon Iver w/ Collections of Colonies of Bees and Conrad Plymouth

Justin Vernon is at the beginning of what’s poised to be a very, very good year. Last year, as Bon Iver, the Wisconsin singer-songwriter earned unexpected accolades for his self-released album from bloggers and, more prestigiously, Pitchforkmedia and The New York Times. This year, Jagjaguwar Records gives that disc a proper release. Unlike so many other singer-songwriters with an obvious reverence for Neil Young and old folk records, Vernon is blessed with a transcendently soulful falsetto voice and a deliberate, unusual sense of pacing. This is music you lose track of time listening to.