Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever ago
This is a folk album for those who like to listen to warm sounding music that takes you on a comfortable sad journey. This is an album that you will enjoy listening to, and can savour but never overpowers you. Warm vocal harmonies and relaxing sounds are the order of the day.
Bon Iver is apparently pronounced Bon ee -vare, thought you might like to know that. Bon Iver is a french expression meaning Good Winter. This album has a great story behind it that if anything enhances the listen.
Basically it was your classic dumping. Spurned men and women always love to write music, and in this case the one thing better than going off to your room to write sad love songs, is going off to a log cabin in the snow and writing a whole album after the break-up of your band, relationship and a bout of hepatitus. His father’s cabin in Dunn County, Wisconsis. When he was in the midst of his bout of Hepatitus he watched the old TV series Northern Exposure on DVD. In one scene the characters wishes the others bon hiver at the first snowfall of the year. Apparently he thought hive was too close to liver, where the hepatitis was kicking him.
So after recuperating all of these songs together and with a miss mash of recording gear from friends and others he recorded the whole thing himself. After playing the album to friends who liked it he did a first run of 500 CDs himself, before the album went crazy. Blogs and other indie music reviewers decided they loved the thing and it went crazy with sales.
Released
2007
Lyrics
Yes all over this release, but whilst at the same time central they are also not overpowering. There is no way I would ever suggest an album like this otherwise but it soothes and allows me to plow on typing quite happily
Mood
This is a really cool cruisy album that moves up and down. There is a real warmth to this album that sucks you in. Breathy multi tracked vocals and gorgeous arrangements make it a complete pleasure to listen to. Think calm.
Good to work to
If you need to speed type this perhaps isn’t the album.
I work to this album when I need a warm feeling that supports me. It’s beautifully arranged and put together, has peaks and troughs and supports rather than drives me when making writing decisions. This might be the perfect album to listen to when you are filling in the gaps or have a firm story in your mind.
Like
This is a folksy album that is like a latter day Crosby, Stills and Nash album, only not quite as clicked. It perhaps got a bit of Fleet Foxes southern californian thrown in. Maybe the best description might be to describe it as a folksy singer songwriter beach boys style album.
The other good album that shares something similar is the Fleet Foxes album of around the same time.
I think for warmth this album is akin to some of the Beck albums I have spoken about like Morning Phase and Sea Change. I could even describe it as sharing the warmth of indigenous Australian artist Gurrumul Yunupingu’s first album.
The Artist/s
Justin Vernon is Bon Iver, but he does have a whole group who are now Bon Iver, but for the purposes of this it’s pretty much him.
When he performs live he adds collaborators and uses musicians such as Colin Stetson and Greg Leisz.
Other works
Bon Iver have a follow up self-titled album. I personally am a much bigger rap for one of his other vehicles Volcano Choir. The first Volcano Choir album is Unmap, and I would say it is a good reference.
Where Can I buy it, and in what formats
This is an album you can find everywhere in multiple formats. It’s a classic that I see little chance of going out of print in vinyl, CD (while they exist), and electronic
The Verdict
Yeah definitely, go and grab it. If you don’t want to work to it you’ll still love this asa classic album. I can imagine writing a novel in a lonely cabin next to a log fire listening to this album.