Bon Iver: Bon Iver, Bon Iver

Bon Iver
Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Rating: Meh

Justin Vernon has a lovely, haunting voice; his falsetto a completely controlled instrument that is even lovelier once he multi-tracks it. His debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, recorded in a remote Wisconsin cabin for four months, was a beautiful record, full of loneliness and heartbreak. In the interim between that album and his sophomore release he has been more known for his collaborations, some making sense, as with the 70s lite-rock supergroup Gayngs, and some that on first glance seemed incongruous, mainly his work with Kanye West. Now we have his latest album under the Bon Iver moniker, Bon Iver, Bon Iver. Not much has changed on this album, he is still creating lovely, lonely music, just with a bigger budget and better production techniques. But something is lost for me on this record; I loved the ramshackle nature of For Emma, and the clarity and spit-shine polish of this record sort of takes the allure away from his music. It seems too studied, too perfect, and ultimately, forgettable.

The majority of the album falls under the weight of too many cluttered arrangements. The album excels when he scales back and lets his voice to the heavy lifting. The highlight of the album is the gorgeously stark "Wash." which builds off ghostly treated piano and Vernon's equally ghostly falsetto. The soft addition of some strings, and guitars strikes the perfect balance, one I which he had followed more throughout the record. First single, "Calgary" is equally lovely, the synth strings and mid-tempo beat recall his recent work with Gayngs.



"Michicant" likewise excels by focusing more on Vernon's voice and lyrics than a fussy arrangement. Soft acoustic guitars and use of bicycle bells evoke the song's touching childhood ruminations. "Perth" begins the album on a strong note, its mix of electric and acoustic guitars steadily gathers in intensity as the song progresses, the one time the slightly overstuffed arrangement works on the album.

The remainder of the album just didn't speak to me in any coherent way. Vernon seemed too focused on the sound of the record and not how it feels. And don't misunderstand me, it is a gorgeous record, but there always seems to be a hand held out, keeping me away from putting my arms around it to embrace it fully. "Minnesota, WI" has far too many elements going on: acoustic guitars, banjo, fuzzed out electric guitars, horns, woodwinds, cluttered percussion, and an uncharacteristically over-the-top vocal. "Holocene" is too subtle, fading into the background like a mousy aunt. Probably the most egregious mistake on the record is the "is this a joke?" track "Beth/Rest" which sounds like a Bruce Hornsby b-side left off the St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack. It stands out like a sore thumb on the record, and should have been resigned to the dustbin.

Perhaps all of his recent success has gone to Vernon's head and he felt that he could go all out on this record and land safely. I applaud him attempting to go outside of his sound, but he ventured a little too far too soon, and got very lost. I'm hoping he is able to find his way back. His voice and writing are far too strong to give up on just yet.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.