Bon Iver
Bon Iver
Bon Iver’s first record – For Emma, Forever Ago – came 3rd on my list in 2008, but since then it has continued to get significant play and, in retrospect, would now probably be my favourite record of that year. As such, I approached the self-titled follow up with quite a bit of trepidation. In spite of the fact that I ultimately prefer the debut – as a placing of 9th here would suggest – this was certainly not a disappointment. Justin Vernon has cleverly adapted and augmented the Bon Iver sound from acoustic sparseness to cluttered orchestrals, while at the same time retaining all the elements that make Bon Iver sound like Bon Iver. The uncanny ability to make melancholia feel uplifting is present, as is the technical virtuosity of the guitar playing, the simplicity of the song structures and Vernon’s haunting voice. The lyrics again are both evocative and opaque. The biggest change is one of scope – it is interesting that more than half of the track titles on Bon Iver are place names; this is an album looking well beyond a wood cabin in Wisconsin (the entire world of the debut). A beautiful record, at once both suitably similar and suitably different to its outstanding predecessor to be about as good as it could have been. As I keep saying this year, it’s amazing that this seems to be so low down the list when it is such a strong album: a placing of 9th for this is again indicative of the quality on show in 2011.
Bon Iver
Bon Iver’s first record – For Emma, Forever Ago – came 3rd on my list in 2008, but since then it has continued to get significant play and, in retrospect, would now probably be my favourite record of that year. As such, I approached the self-titled follow up with quite a bit of trepidation. In spite of the fact that I ultimately prefer the debut – as a placing of 9th here would suggest – this was certainly not a disappointment. Justin Vernon has cleverly adapted and augmented the Bon Iver sound from acoustic sparseness to cluttered orchestrals, while at the same time retaining all the elements that make Bon Iver sound like Bon Iver. The uncanny ability to make melancholia feel uplifting is present, as is the technical virtuosity of the guitar playing, the simplicity of the song structures and Vernon’s haunting voice. The lyrics again are both evocative and opaque. The biggest change is one of scope – it is interesting that more than half of the track titles on Bon Iver are place names; this is an album looking well beyond a wood cabin in Wisconsin (the entire world of the debut). A beautiful record, at once both suitably similar and suitably different to its outstanding predecessor to be about as good as it could have been. As I keep saying this year, it’s amazing that this seems to be so low down the list when it is such a strong album: a placing of 9th for this is again indicative of the quality on show in 2011.
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