Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
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Free Music Notes for For Emma, Forever Ago
Free Music Review: amazing
Hit: 5 Stars
one of the best albums of 2008, hands down, a new classic from beginning to end.Free Music Review: For Emma, Forever Ago
Hit: 5 Stars
This is one of those rare albums that I can listen to from beginning to end.Free Music Review: yes
Hit: 5 Stars
not my normal choice of music, but this album is so good. get it.Free Music Review: The under 10 word summary - Think "Coldplay on a chain gang."
Hit: 4 Stars
For those Iron and Wine fans who are disappointed at Sam Beam's more produced sound, you will clap your hands in glee at the first sound of "For Emma, Forever Ago." And although the title of this review sounds flip (and a bit uncomplimentary), this is the closest I can come to describing the sound of Bon Iver to someone who hasn't heard it yet. Justin's falsetto, in addition to the Americana overtones lent by the use of banjo and the occasional rhythmic chorus do not pigeonhole the musical style - rather, it seems to make something completely new. There is an ineffable appeal to the combination of ethereal, disjointed lyrics and solidly earthy string instruments that immediately lifts the heart.
The album cover is exactly the picture of what I feel when listening to the music - like, in the middle of a hard winter, hope is here. There's sadness and loneliness, but we are looking out the window and seeing the signs of Spring and renewal amidst the mostly barren landscape.
The album's jewels are evident in the first 5 tracks. "Flume" and "Skinny Love" are the most accessible tracks, proven by the airplay they have gotten. I like "Lump Sum" for its easy rhythm, and "The Wolves (Act I and II" with its spiritual feel has some beautiful parts that more or less make up for the occasionally jarring vocals. "Blindsided" is a warm and solid effort, if a bit more tame and the chorus on "Creature Fear" will stick with you for days...at which point the album sort of tapers off. I've no idea why the title track is buried at the end of the track list...after such catchy openers, it's a hard act to follow and does not do "For Emma" justice. But from start to finish, this is a beautifully crafted album, each track contributing to a satisfying totality.
And it doesn't get old, either. Each listen provides some new detail to marvel at.
I'm torn between wanting to see this album get the widespread attention it deserves, and wanting to pretend it is my very own secret!
Free Music Review: An Epic..... but not for Everybody
Hit: 4 Stars
I can see why reaction to Bon Iver is so fragmented. There are those who hail it an instant epic, and others who think its pastoral nonsense. I'm somewhat in the middle - granted, these sorts of slow burner indie-folk albums aren't for everybody, but there is definitely something more special about this particular album - more so because its a concept album about that most universal of animals - lost love.
While the harmonies here are subdued and very, very slow-paced, the atmosphere of the entire album is what makes it work. There is a heady iciness to the entire venture, a sort of morbid sadness even, one that permeates every single track. Like Camille's "Le Fil" which had a drone running through each song (and for minutes after the last song played), this mood of sombre melancholy is present in spades on this album, and this also works for it.
The centerpiece is the two-suite "The Wolves" and the luminous "Team". None of these songs work especially well on their own. Like any good novel, each song blends into the other so that the album needs to be listened to in chronological order. Bon Iver's mastery of the sparse musical medium is astounding, and the way he makes every track here speak its' own unique brand of solitudinal longing, is a work of art waiting to be unraveled.
For many people who read this positive review, you might well buy this album and be shocked by the 'dull', 'slow' songs therein. This is in part true. It takes a while to 'get' what the artist is trying to accomplish here, but if you approach this as a rich experimental piece worth investing in, you just might reap some invaluable rewards.
Highly Recommended.