There are few artists our there that I feel are genius in their art. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver is certainly one of them. Perhaps what makes Vernon one of my favorites comes really in two parts: A) he didn’t need the help of the corporate monster over at Columbia or Sony to allow him to live his dream and B) he doesn’t feel the need to rush a new Bon Iver record strictly for the sake of capitalizing on his success.

Vernon lets the music come to him. He forces nothing. After experiencing massive success after the release of the self-titled “Bon Iver,” Vernon admirably shows great restraint in not riding his own coat tail here. So what has he been doing since then, you ask?

He’s been burning through the millions he’s made in recent years boosting the careers of his struggling, indie buddies. His first effort was recording a beautiful album, “Unmap,” with his friends in Milwaukee’s Collections of Colonies of Bees (under the name Volcano Choir). The record received a “Best New Music” 8.3 stamp of approval from Pitchfork, not to anyone’s surprise.

The most recent effort, however, may be my favorite. Most people know Vernon for his silky falsetto has displayed in nearly every Bon Iver tune out there. Well, he gets rid of that for this bluesy, Tom Petty-ish rock trio sound, The Shouting Matches.

Thanks to NPR, you can stream the entire record!

