For Emma Forever Ago (amazon) (itunes), the first full length effort from Bon Iver, grabs hold of your mind with a subtle intimacy that is both comforting and quietly desperate. From the opening seconds of the first track Flume there exists a haunting quality to this album that remains mysteriously intangible after repeated listens. This album deserves as much praise for what is apparent as for what is consciously left out. While some acts bring a cornucopia of production and layers to their music Bon Iver instead relies on a minimalist nature which lets the beauty of the art shine through.
mp3 : Bon Iver - Flume
mp3 : Bon Iver - Skinny Love
This album will not be for everyone. It will be too slow and too teasing for some, but for the rest of us it will be the closest we ever come to hearing songs from a post physical world. Songs that reach out from someplace barely imagined yet entirely recognizable. Songs from our past that speak kindly of our future. Songs that you can listen to time and time again.
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amen. great review, amazing album
Love the album. Took a while to warm up to it, but I’m sold. Even more so after seeing ‘em live!
Just wanted to point out that the album is titled For Emma, Forever Ago–great review though. You described the sounds perfectly. “Blindsided” was probably the most stunning song I heard last year.
Wonderful review. I absolutely love this album.