Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

There’s a definite formula to Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago. Justin Vernon’s dulcet layered tones sweep across his beautiful lo-fi nu-soul acoustica, in torn, raw, emotive fashion somewhere between Scott Matthews and Brett Dennen. The vocals really carry For Emma, Forever Ago as it was in serious danger of being just another singer-songwriter hitching a ride on the massive wave.

The Wolves (Act 1 & 2) is a clear indication of this, the sheer amount of attention on the vocals keep you listening despite there only being a solitary strum of a guitar for most of the song to accompany it. And you are rewarded with a slow building relentless guitar then a racket of drums that sound like gunfire, but it all works as the focus remains on the composite vocals to the end through the a cappella.

The signature layered vocals continue throughout, seemingly always being three vocal parts at all times exercising Vernon’s depth and range in voice. The guitar parts are never anything too complex, maintaining the focus on his beautiful, wistful vocal talents. Creature Fear, appears a bluesy country ballad at first but transforms into a pounding chorus that beats with choral oohs and aahs along with an embedded electric guitar and bass and snare drum that create an entirely different feel to album. There is an undeniable freedom and improvisation to For Emma, Forever Ago, mainly due to the fact that it was self produced and released before being re-released through Jagjaguwar. This shift in feel continues when Creature Fear blends straight into Team where the vocal line of Creature Fear is replaced by a whistle led instrumental and on into For Emma. The drums are much more prominent in For Emma, as is the electric, with the slow strumming acoustic continuing with the many vocal lines and the evolution continues more with even a horn solo.

Bon Iver seems at his best though when he is alone with himself like on powerful and evocative Skinny Love (Now all your love was wasted?/Then who the hell was I?) and the poignant Re:stacks. His voice comes across much better, much softer, much more beautiful and almost more earnest and with lines such as “This is not the sound of a new man or crispy realization/It’s the sound of the unlocking and the lift away/Your love will be safe with me” touching the sternest of beings.  The real obstacles are ahead for Jason Vernon’s Bon Iver when the influences of the major label, currently featuring the likes of Black Mountain, Oakey Hall and South, start to have an impact.

-9/10