Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
|
List Price: Our Price: $9.83 You Save: $5.15 (34%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for For Emma, Forever Ago
Free Music Review: Worth a Haunting and Heartfelt Listen
Hit: 5 Stars
I ran across this CD accidentally, and not knowing anything about it other than it seemed to fit in the genre of music I like (Iron & Wine, Bright Eyes, Elliot Smith, etc.), I gave it a listen. From the very beginning I was drawn in to the slow and methodical way the songs are put together, each one complex and unique. An acoustic guitar lays the groundwork for just about every song, but on top of that each song builds its own group of sounds, including choral elements and a horn section, that always work to compliment the slow but high-pitched singing of Justin Vernon (the man behind the psuedonym). His voice caught me off guard at first, but I've come to really enjoy it and the layered way Vernon put his vocal tracks together.
Part of the appeal of this album is also the storry behind it, with Vernon pulling himself away to a secluded cabin to get away from the world while he rode through a rough patch in his life. The fact that he was not in the most uplifiting of spirits is obvious in the songs and the production's haunting overtones. I think it's fairly obvious when an artist is really pumping their soul into their work, and "For Emma, Forever Ago" is definitely an acheivement of such.
And for me, another part of the appeal of the album is knowing that it is a solo work, Vernon recording and piecing all of the tracks together himself in order to create the feeling of music coming from a large group. While this creates some trouble for him playing live shows, I look at it as quite an acheivement, both musically and artistically, that he was able to work on the level of an entire band to create his vision.
As others have noted, this album is not for everyone and might take a few listenings to really get the hang of it and come to appreciate it. My suggestion would be to find some peace and quiet, put on a good pair of headphones, and take some time to really give it a listen. Keep an open mind, and you won't be dissapointed.
Free Music Review: Re:Stacks
Hit: 5 Stars
Bon Iver is a stunning artist. The music is based on folk elements comprising of the most soothy of evening sky melodies that bands like My Morning Jacket try so hard to stress upon. I haven't heard any other album by the artist. I was delighted and the charm the music carries is much more than self-congratulating, it stresses further down the river.
Re:Stacks - for instance, has the kind of tune which melts away any tiredness that comes from a day in the hack or behind your office rack bending over to get a paper you dropped
Flume - This is definitely not a summer song but it's 40 degrees where I live and flume somehow helps. The song has the most irony induced of lyrics.
YOU WILL NOT be able to judge the lyrics on the album. You have no option but to like the lyrics. I feel "For Emma, Forever Ago" is not an album that can be neccessarily be judged because it is what music is. It would be unfair to scrutinize something so poignant and off-shore. The vocalist seems least bothered about the fact that he's singing and this is apparent in every song. Every single sung is with precision and melody. I don't like Wolves too much, not sure what was happening there.
Skinny Love brings a smile but is not the best song on the album.
You know what, I'm just gonna stop talking about the songs. The album cover could have been perfect because the sound is just delirious and uplifting. Bon Iver knows when to pause and sing. When to sing and then pause. Effortless good music.
So far this is my find of the year.
My friends think I'm song last king of Hotland for finding this particular artist.
The music heals. These songs are here to stay.
Free Music Review: For Emma, Forever Ago
Hit: 5 Stars
As many good artists are discovered and shared, I was introduced to Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) through a mixtape containing two of the more popular tracks from the album: Skinny Love and Blindsided. I picked up a copy of the LP and headed to a show a month or two later.
I will admit, the very first time I heard him sing; I was a little thrown off by his style and use of falsetto. However, that was one of the most magnificent live performances I have ever witnessed and I've seen everyone from Lou Reed to the Locust. The music is incredibly driven and soulful. I've heard the claims (and this kind of back and forth riff-raff occurs with every up and coming 'indie' artist) that it's just overrated fake-folk. Maybe it's fake-folk and maybe it's not, but genre titles just aren't enough to put down some of the great thing s that are going on in the 'indie' world right now, in this case with Bon Iver.
I can't make too many, 'If you like...then you will like Bon Iver" type statements. Many albums are as enjoyable as you want them to be. If you are at all familiar with Jagjaguwar Records or just picked up the new Fleet Foxes album or maybe your girlfriend/boyfriend made you a mixtape and you want to hear more of this sort bare bones acoustic masterpiece, then check out this CD. If you have the capability, buy the LP (comes with free download). You may be sorry, and, if so, you can whine like the others, but I'm pretty sure you'll dig it!
Free Music Review: Subtle, Brilliant
Hit: 5 Stars
Upon hearing "Skinny Love", probably the most accessible song on "For Emma, Forever Ago", it was running through my head the rest of the week as I played it over and over again. This should in no way denigrate the rest of the album, which packs a surprising punch in 9 subtle songs. It would be easy to just treat "For Emma..." as background music, but a careful listen reveals layers of melody overlaid by Justin Vernon's impressive vocals.
"The Wolves (Act I and II)" starts off slowly but builds into a powerful message at the album's core:
What might have been lost
Don't bother me
The title track "For Emma" further embellishes on what might have been lost with a mixture of trumpet and strained guitar. The crooning of "Creature Fear" builds into the wonderfully moody instrumental "Team".
It is often mentioned that this album was written over the course of 4 wintry months in a Wisconsin cabin. Stereotyping the quiet solitude of this album on its origins is unfair, however: this isn't just one of those singer/songwriter efforts you hear about some guy writing on his own out in the woods; it is the epitome of a singer/songwriter recording the heartfelt musings of life in isolation.
I highly recommend this album--it's subtle tones on first listen grow into brilliance.
Free Music Review: Beauty in isolation
Hit: 5 Stars
All I know is that listening to this album is evoking emotions in me that I don't think I have ever experienced from an album before. It's very hard to describe, and the best I can do is probably cliché by now... haunting, desolate, and undeniably beautiful. The emotion is pure... in most songs you can't tell what he's singing about or what the lyrics are, and you don't need to... there's enough audible intention behind them.
I am reading "Into the Wild" for the first time, and the emotion and imagery evoked by that book go remarkably well with what I feel when listening to this. It's a combination I highly recommend! Isolation is a dominate theme in this album, just as it is in the book... perhaps that's what is so powerful about it. It is something I think we all fear... noone wants to believe that when left with just themselves and with nature that they can somehow not feel so alone, that they don't need the presence of others. I think he probably discovered that to some extent in his time out in the woods, and writing this album was the vehicle through which he did. As a result this album is totally isolated as well... emerging with him from the woods as something completely unique, at least from anything I've heard.
Embrace this album and go wherever it takes you!