Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago [ALBUM]

**danni_lou33** · 03:50 PM

A cliché scenario – upset young man lugs his gear to the hills and spends 3 whole months in isolation, tortured by upsetting events of the last year and eager to start again. “For Emma, Forever Ago” charts his progress from despair right back to balance and it’s evident that this is a deeply personal record that perhaps wasn’t ever intended to be released. Maybe it was merely meant to be an outlet for reasonably accomplished singer/songwriter Justin Vernon. You will identify with these songs if you’ve ever been low and wondered how to best vent frustrations – it’s clear that during the time Vernon spent holed up in a cabin in Wisconsin he made a good go of spitting out his demons and throwing them down on tape to create something that would encourage him to finally move on. This doesn’t necessarily make the album a gloomy listen. It’s a feast of ideas that were initially spontaneous, but that have been pulled together to create an innovative and moving example of music in its best form – purely unprepared yet totally understandable.

It’s easy to be sceptical when you’re told that an album has been hailed as the best thing since sliced bread, and it’s easy to want to see past the praise and focus on flaws to explore your own duty to be as honest as possible. Approaching this album I was intimidated by its lo-fi feel, as I am ashamedly a sucker for well-produced records, but I found it’s only a matter of seconds before you’re engrossed in a haunting soundscape of vocal harmonies, mellow guitar and curious background shuffles. Bon Iver successfully stops you in your tracks and lowers your mind to reflection. “Skinny Love”, one of just two tracks to be officially released as singles once Vernon had signed to Jagjaguwar, is more accessible than some, as although lyrically all the songs present you with cryptic bluntness and fantastic imagery, this particular track is easier to take at face value. The vocal falsetto ‘soars’ sound slightly Beegees from time to time (!) but prove that Vernon has an incredible vocal range, best explored on track “Blindsided”. Digging deeper into the bubble of overdubbing, a particular favourite lyric of mine stems from “The Wolves Act I & II” - Vernon tells us that “what might have been lost don’t bother me”. What might have been lost now matters to me, as “For Emma...” is a journey fraught with sadness that reaches a satisfying destination.

Don’t try it out if you need simple, blaring licks and commercially-burnt lyrics to brighten your day. Listen to this album only when human empathy is likely to cheer you up.

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Heron · Comment Posted on: October 14, 2008, 04:18 PM

Nice review, rep added.

If you ever get to see them live, I guarantee a chill down your spine.

I saw them at Primavera Festival in Barcelona this year, and they played at the indoor music hall there. It was deathy silent except for the music and vocals. You kind of got the feeling that everyone knew they were witnessing something pretty special.

jack s · Comment Posted on: October 14, 2008, 05:24 PM

This is a great review, one of the best i have read on here. Nice work.

Bon iver is a great artist, i can't really fault this record. It is exactly what i thought it would be.

danni_lou33 · Comment Posted on: October 14, 2008, 09:54 PM

Originally Posted by M.T.A

Bon iver is a great artist, i can't really fault this record. It is exactly what i thought it would be.

I was really chuffed actually, because normally if i'm hyped up about something it lets me down. i'd definitely encourage anyone with the same mind set to challenge themselves with this album & if they are disappointed i hold my hands up high! but perhaps it really does just depend what mood you're in....? if i'd been bouncing off the walls in ecstasy (...not ON ecstasy

) today maybe i wouldn't have appreciated it as much...?

jack s · Comment Posted on: October 14, 2008, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by danni_lou33

today maybe i wouldn't have appreciated it as much...?

Well you know the answer to that equation.......listen to it again!!

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> Home > Reviews | Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago [ALBUM]

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago [ALBUM]

Jagjaguwar/4AD Records

October 14, 2008, 01:10 PM

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70%

"They fall from your fingers in flakes."

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"They fall from your fingers in flakes."

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