Break for Bon Iver

So it appears that after two years of touring the guys from Bon Iver are taking a much needed rest from the road...for a little while atleast ,and who can blame them? After the debut of For Emma, For Ever Ago the band exploded on the indie scene like a can of PBR in the freezer, and with the follow up Ep Blood Bank the band continued touring relentlessly. You would hear from a friend that someone spotted JV and the crew catching some R & R on familiar grounds (the Joynt) and next thing you know they are off to Norway or Australia. What this can only mean is good things I think. After all winter is almost upon us and maybe this is JV's opportunity to come out with a full length follow up to For Emma that we all have been waiting for. It will be good to have JV and the gang back in EC, and good for EC to have JV home. Good Winter farewell...for now

Here's what they had posted on their blog as of today:

BON IVER Plays Last Show For the Foreseeable Future, Stream It Now Wrapping up a meteor is a difficult proposition. BON IVER turned the page on this chapter of the story by heading home to Wisconsin, acting as honorary chair for AIDS WALK Wisconsin, and playing one more show before taking a well-deserved break from public performance. You can stream Sunday's performance from Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee HERE.Stay warm, fellas.

Also you can hear the streaming performance from their last show of the tour on their website Boniver.org or on Pitchfork.com

Black Keys Do Hip Hop?

It really doesnt get much better than some good ole gritty dirty blues. Well atleast not in my book. The band that is definitly getting me my fix right now is the Black Keys.
The Akron Ohio duo has gained a lot of momentum in the past decade and have definitely let their presence be known in both the indie scene and the rock world (if there is such a thing anymore) and now have gained attention from producer Damon Dash and Rocafella Records?
which led me to my next questions after seeing an interesting post on Pitchfork.com this morning:

Is there a new Black Keys Hip-Hop Album?
Could there be such a thing?

While I am not a big hip-hop fan I definitely have my guilty pleasures: Mos Def, Talib Kwali, Jay-Z, Kanye West (when he isn't interrupting someone) and of course Minneapolis's own Atmosphere. But would that even work? Would it not totally suck? With what has been going on in both the indie and hip-hop scene lately stranger things have happened. I mean shit even Jay-Z and Beyonce are indie fans. (they were seen at a Grizzly Bear show in Brooklyn last month)

After checking out their Website http://www.blakroc.com/ my suspicions are true. (pitchfork) At first I was a little worried but after hearing a bit of the first track with Mos Def , it sounds like it is gonna be some serious shit. Right now on their page they also feature a few Webisodes of their progress in the studio. I cant wait to hear more. The Album is due out on November 27, 2009, but you can pre-order the album now on their website.
The track list and featured artist's are below:


Artists:Billy Danze, The Black Keys, Jim Jones, Nicole Wray, NOE, Ludacris, Mos Def, ODB, Pharoahe Monch, Q-Tip, Raekwon, & RZA

Track Listing:
1. Coochie
2. On The Vista
3. Hard Times
4. Dollaz & Sense
5. Why Can’t I Forget Him
6. Stay Off The F*%$#n’ Flowers
7. Aint Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)
8. Hope You’re Happy
9. Tellin’ Me Things
10. What You Do To Me
11. Done Did It