Hear the First Single From The Volcano Choir (w/ Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon)

The Volcano Choir, a collaboration between Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Milwaukee band Collections of Colonies of Bees, are offering up the first track from their upcoming album as a free download.  It’s called “Island, IS.” Check it out here. The track is featured on the Volcano Choir’s debut Unmap, due September 22 via Jagjaguwar records.

Unmap was recorded before For Emma, Forever Ago,  Bon Iver’s critically lauded 2007 debut, was mixed and mastered. Iver has credited the Volcano Choir collaborations with helping him find the “creative courage” to put out his own album.

According to the press release, “Island, IS” is “centrally constructed around the multi-layered loops and microsecond cuts by guitarist Chris Roseanu. Justin, responsible for all of Volcano Choir’s vocals, crafted consonant harmonies. Not initially concerned with lyrics, the words that came from the sounds were secondary, but ended up a tremendously meaningful stream-of-consciousness. Justin’s admiration for Collections of Colonies of Bees came from listening to and learning from their experimental processes – throwing and painting with chords, tones and percussion. The resulting collaboration is a genre-blurring musical expression that could not have come otherwise.”