Bon Iver Review

BY MICHAEL LLERENA

Cover for Bon Iver's recently released second album "Bon Iver".

Bon Iver’s 2008 debut album For Emma, Forever Ago was hailed as a masterpiece in the indie community. The record’s bare bones instrumentation and unrivaled ability to truly convey one man’s hardships would make the album a tough act for frontman Justin Vernon to follow. It is for this reason that Bon Iver’s latest follow up album, Bon Iver, Bon Iver has caused a stir among fans and critics alike. The album encompasses a vastly larger sonic landscape, with everything from quirky synthesizers to pedal steel to swelling string sections. Moreover, this album was not written by the same anguished young man from three years ago, but rather a man who recognizes the need to crack a smile once in a while.

The album’s opening track “Perth” treads slowly with ambient, harmonizing guitars before coalescing into a crescendo of bombastic marching drums and layered vocals. Orchestral instruments envelope the mix, as the rhythm becomes more rigid and precise. The first bars of “Minnesota, WI” show Vernon using a more soulful influence in his vocal delivery, with pedal steel and furious banjo work buoying the remainder of the song. This song is a true indicator of how well crafted the sounds and arrangements on this record are.

On the other hand, listeners hear Bon Iver right at home on “Holocene” with vocal melodies and lyrics that make even the strongest of men break down and weep. The escalating snare drum rhythm and optimistic brass section provides a jubilant contrast against Vernon’s otherwise heartbreaking masterpiece. While the lyrics of this album are considerably more optimistic than those of the previous one, a track like “Towers” is still a strong reinforcement to the idea that Bon Iver’s instrumentation has gotten some color as well. “Michicant” immediately grabs the listener’s attention with its use of waltz rhythm and unorthodox percussion. As with the other songs on this album, Vernon’s vocals and the avante garde synth arrangement are both original and intriguing.

Bon Iver's creative mastermind Justin Vernon.

Vernon’s noticeable use of physical locations as song titles convey a reference to the vivid, picture-esque narratives depicted in said songs. However, this record still possesses a style that is both cohesive and distilled. This is not surprising as the entire album was recorded in a small, converted studio that Vernon built in his home of Wisconsin.

“Calgary” is the first single to be released from the record, and for good reason. While it isn’t necessarily a barometer with which to measure the entire album, one still sees Vernon shed his old morose inclinations in favor of this newer, more colorful sound. In a sense, that is the mission statement of this record. Listeners who doubt this shift need only hear him sing “Oh the demons come, they can subside.” This is a truly a record that both deserves and demands multiple listens as its intricate arrangements will intrigue you and Vernon’s sometimes cryptic lyrics will confound you. A line from album’s closer “Beth/Rest” provides a simple, yet eloquent of Vernon’s current mindset in songwriting. “I ain’t living in the dark no more. It’s not a promise, I’m just gonna call it.” Well put sir, well put.