Hearing Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago for the first time was a both a strange and unique experience for me, and one that I've rarely ever encountered before. The sensation was similar to submerging oneself into a frozen lake, but instead of rushing back to the surface choosing rather to embrace the cold and become fully absorbed in it. It's a sound that hits you with a sharp chill and slowly unfolds into something that is pure, organic, haunting, and emotionally moving.
Before I get too carried away, let me just back up a few steps. So Bon Iver is actually the singular creation of Justin Vernon, a Wisconsin native who was (up until this album) struggling to find the true sound that he had always been looking to create. So pre-Bon Iver, there was the unfulfilled Justin Vernon, member of the North Carolianian indie folk band DeYarmond Edison. When his desire to attain the creative flexibility that he so desperately needed finally broke through, he decided to pack up his bags, dump his girlfriend, and make his way back to his Wisconsinian roots.
Once back, he moved to the solitude of his father's hunting cabin in the woods, all alone and intending simply to relax and re-establish some peace of mind. But as soon as he started to pick up his guitar, a multitude of uncontainable ideas began to flourish, ones that wouldn't be interrupted by anything but his own sleep schedule. And so, Bon Iver (a mispelling of the French "bonne hiver" meaning "good winter") came into being, emerging from the woods three months later with his arms full of tremendous material.
Bon Iver can easily be compared to other heartfelt and reclusive artists like Iron & Wine's Sam Bean or the late, great Nick Drake. However, to limit him to this would just be wrong. Vernon shares similarities with a smorgasbord of musical talents, with vocals achieving the emotionality of Marvin Gaye, the raw troubadour passion of a Glen Hansaard, and the wild creativity matching the likes of Neutral Milk Hotel or more recently Animal Collective.
The album is filled with hypnotic acoustic compositions that swagger and sway mostly due to Vernon's amazing voice. The opener "Flume" is captivating for it's simultaneous delicacy and incredible power. Vernon's falsetto flutters through the entire album, only dipping occasionally into lower registers. However, when it does drop to a lower register, his songs achieve an atypical, climactic ability. This is no more apparent than on the gripping "Skinny Love", the kind of song that Ben Harper always aspired to write but never quite achieved.
In his debut, Justin Vernon/Bon Iver has created a piece of work that will certainly stand the test of time and most likely achieve the same timeless status of other wildly influential singer/songwriter landmarks such as Astral Weeks or Pink Moon. After a quick 37 minutes it comes and goes far too quickly, bringing to mind some of the most sadly ephemeral natural occurances like the Northern Lights or a full moon. Luckily for us we can simply press "Play" again and start the whole cycle over again as many times as we like.
Key Tracks:
Skinny Love
For Emma
Re: Stacks
Final Verdict: 9.8
Bon Iver - Skinny Love
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