Bon Iver and his choir of one
I was not expecting to be so taken by Bon Iver and his debut album For Emma, Forever Ago, but now I can’t imagine my car stereo without it. To set the stage, Bon Iver also known as Justin Vernon set out for a remote cabin in Wisconsin for four months with some simple recording equipment and a record in mind. Not surprising is the album’s perfect reflection of the atmosphere in which it was recorded. It exudes remoteness and often loneliness in the voice of this one man. Though he layers his vocals as much as eight times creating a grand choir of one, it doesn’t disguise the loneliness, but that might have all been part of the ploy. In a most simplistic description, imagine Sam Beam going “Into the Wild”, and you have Bon Iver. In my opinion, this album reaches its most magical peak when listened to alone while driving in the rain. I had the most difficulty with deciding upon my favorite song of this album. Each song was its own gem. Eventually my heart was touched by the distinctive and uncharacteristic energy found in “Creature Fear”. It starts off very characteristically with soft reverent hums that trail into a first verse. Suddenly with the chorus comes a burst of energy almost spurred on by a fervency of the message, and afterwards it whittles down again into the gentle guitar strums and yearning falsetto. His lyrics are interestingly cryptic, and when sung can be taken one way, and when read can be seen in another.
I was full by your count
I was lost but your fool
Was a long visit wrong?
Say you are the only
The songs ends in simple soothing acoustics and whistles as if attempting to give the listener some time to just think. Needless to say, this album is beautiful.
