Bon Iver

Saam

Every few months I find an artist that just blows me away, and I just can't stop listening to them!

I'll post the bio from his Last.fm

Justin Vernon moved to a remote cabin in the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin at the onset of winter. Tailing from the swirling breakup of his long time band (DeYarmond Edison), he escaped to the property and surrounded himself with simple work, quiet, and space. He lived there alone for three months, filling his days with wood splitting and other chores around the land. This special time slowly began feeding a bold, uninhibited new musical focus.

This slowly evolved into days filled with twelve-hour recording blocks, breaking only for trips on the tractor into the pines to saw and haul firewood, or for frozen sunrises high up a deer stand. All of his personal trouble, lack of perspective, heartache, longing, love, loss and guilt that had been stock piled over the course of the past six years, was suddenly purged into the form of song. The end result is, For Emma, Forever Ago, a nine-song album comprised of what’s been dubbed a striking debut by critics and fans alike.

Bon Iver (pronounced: bohn eevair; French for “good winter” and spelled wrong on purpose) is a greeting, a celebration and a sentiment. It is a new statement of an artist moving on and establishing the groundwork for a lasting career. For Emma, Forever Ago is the debut of this lineage of songs. As a whole, the record is entirely cohesive throughout and remains centered around a particular aesthetic, prompted by the time and place for which it was recorded. Vernon seems to have tested his boundaries to the utmost, and in doing so has managed to break free from any pre-cursing or finished forms.

Anyways, his music is simple but really powerful, just a bloke on his tobler in the middle of nowhere, making an album for the buzz.

Just seeing what people think!

http://www.last.fm/music/Bon+Iver
http://www.myspace.com/boniver

Howard the Duck

I got his album a little while ago. I think it's very good. And so ends my review

blainj2

Agreed, he seems like he is gonna be the next big thing. This performance on Jools Holland is probably the best ive ever seen on it, goosebump time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHyo33XLP24

Howard the Duck

blainj2 wrote: »

Agreed, he seems like he is gonna be the next big thing. This performance on Jools Holland is probably the best ive ever seen on it, goosebump time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHyo33XLP24

I dunno i thought Jimmy Cliff Singin "Many Rivers to Cross" was amazingly brilliant

monkey9

Quality album (For Emma, Forever Ago). I first heard of him a few weeks back when all the music magazines where raving about him. From Mojo to NME, they gave him great reviews. So i couldn't wait for the album. I went to see the National the other week and their intro music was a song i'd never heard before but absolutely loved straight away. Someone beside me seemed to know who it was and i asked him who sings this song, and he said Bon Iver. I couldn't believe it. The song in question was Flume, the first track on the album.
When i got the album, i must admit i was slightly disappointed, but i put that down to hype. I stuck with it and it really is coming into it's own. Each song is starting to achieve it's own identity.
For those who don't know, he is playing Crawdaddy this bank holiday Monday and judging by that Jools Holland link (thanks a lot for that by the way), he actually could be even better as a live artist than a recording one.

DrummerBoy

I was passed on this album by a friend having heard nothing about it. Really loved it. Got some other stuff at the time too, would also recomend Audrey Album: Visible Forms and The Album Leaf Album: In a Safe Place

lordgoat

Heartwarmingly good that amazing music is still being fashioned. It's a breathtaking album.

flyswatter

Listening to the album at the moment. Sounding very good so far.

Captain Darling

Just after getting the album there. Havent been impressed by something as good as this in a long time. Only after first listen now, but a song called 'skinny love' has really stood out and clobbered me over the head.

Captain Darling

This is total class!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHyo33XLP24

BAZM8

Saw him in Tripod last week, Quality gig. He's back in Tripod on the 7th October. don't miss it.


http://www.ticketmaster.ie/event/180040C6A80C2DAE?artistid=967032&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=1

lordgoat

BAZM8 wrote: »

Saw him in Tripod last week, Quality gig. He's back in Tripod on the 7th October. don't miss it.


http://www.ticketmaster.ie/event/180040C6A80C2DAE?artistid=967032&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=1

Was the gig not in Whelans last week?

indiewindy

lordgoat wrote: »

Was the gig not in Whelans last week?

It was moved from crawdaddy 2 days before due to demand

JonThom

Great album, been listening to a lot of it lately. Just got tickets for the October show, should be well worth seeing.

I_was_a_man

Its an amazing album. His voice just gets me. its so emotional. And it all works as a classic album in that it all seems to be building to a climax and it comes with re:stacks

sprinkles

Listened to this a month ago and didn't really get into it. Stumbled across it again last week and gave it another go. Boy am I glad. Great sound.

red_ice

BAZM8 wrote: »

Saw him in Tripod last week, Quality gig. He's back in Tripod on the 7th October. don't miss it.

+1

Great artist. The GF works in a record store so we got our hands on it the second it came in. I've been covering a few of his tunes myself. Skinny love is a great song, id say its what will be his main song to bring people to his gigs.

The album imo is great, not something i could listen to over and over. I came in from a horrid day there a few months ago and the missus slapped on the album, did the job brilliantly!

Kid V

Its my album of the year so far and it'll take some beating. Beck has a new album out soon so maybe that'll be my album of 08.

For Emma, Forever Ago is one of those albums that you know is special almost straight away during the first few seconds of Flume. There are just so many amazing songs on the album. Its hard to imagine him making a better album. He certainly couldnt recapture the atmosphere on this.

AlaskaFox

Anyone who really likes Bon Iver should check out Tallest Man on Earth. It's the only folk album better than For Emma this year.

insinkerator

I just got for Emma forever ago...


Sweet mother of god, why wasnt i told about this sooner

One of the best albums i have heard this yeat, without any shadow of a doubt!

Chong

Its an absolute beautiful album.

Check this out:

lordgoat

insinkerator wrote: »

I just got for Emma forever ago...


Sweet mother of god, why wasnt i told about this sooner

One of the best albums i have heard this yeat, without any shadow of a doubt!

It got voted the album of the week ages ago and he's been on the radio since May, how did you miss him is prob a better question.

Best album of the last few years easily.

insinkerator

fair point on the album of the week bit i guess, however, i dont really listen to the radio that much

More importantly though, i have the album now. It fantastic! That video is pretty cool btw. He has an amazing voice

Morzadec

It really is a great album, iv listened to it time and time again, still amn't sick of it. anyone any idea if there are plans for a new album at any stage?

check out my covers of 'flume' and 'lump sum', just put them up on youtube today, lemme know what you think!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6m__nqpiQA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibNg997WpMg

Fanny Cradock

He has released a free EP that features 4 tracks for For Emma, Forever Ago (see my link below). He recorded them with his band, so it's something a little different then the fairly simple sound of the album.

sprinkles

Cheers Fanny - great blog btw.

insinkerator

damn i wish i had sigs enabled.. will they slow down my browser a lot?

i71jskz5xu42pb

bio from his Last.fm wrote:

Justin Vernon moved to a remote cabin in the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin at the onset of winter. Tailing from the swirling breakup of his long time band (DeYarmond Edison), he escaped to the property and surrounded himself with simple work, quiet, and space. He lived there alone for three months, filling his days with wood splitting and other chores around the land. This special time slowly began feeding a bold, uninhibited new musical focus.

This kind of drivel makes me want to stab somebody in the face. The music should stand on its own with this romanticised (and probably fake) bull****.

I'll give his music a listen though.

lordgoat

Larry Polite Ugliness wrote: »

This kind of drivel makes me want to stab somebody in the face. The music should stand on its own with this romanticised (and probably fake) bull****.

I'll give his music a listen though.

Maybe the music does stand on it's own and this just happens to be the back story to the album.

insinkerator

anyone else rather disappointed with his new EP. I have heard people talking about him using an auto tuner? i assume thats the effects that he has put on his voice on the second track. I dont really like it. Perhaps it will grow on me, but as the moment, it is nowhere near as strong as For Emma, forever ago

Aridstarling

I haven't heard the EP yet, though hopefully I will soon. FEFA probably influenced me more than anything else last year so I'm hoping I wont be disappointed.

insinkerator

Aridstarling wrote: »

I haven't heard the EP yet, though hopefully I will soon. FEFA probably influenced me more than anything else last year so I'm hoping I wont be disappointed.

i dont think the EP is a patch on the album, he uses some effect on his voice in one of the tracks, which i will admit is growing on me, but theres nothing in the EP as powerful as wolves act I and II or anything