For Emma, Forever Ago

by

Bon Iver

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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.

I only have one minor problem with this album: its entire second half. I love the first half of the album (okay, and the song "For Emma"). But each of the remaining songs is either annoyingly repetitive and non-melodic, or meanders so aimlessly that it sounds like it's being improvised late at night by a bunch of stoners. Even "Skinny Love", my favorite song, is great but sounded better live on late night TV than it does on the album. I appreciate the band's talent, and obviously I'm in the minority with a critical review, but I personally think they could have made a much better album than this.