6 am. I am sat on my loo top in the bathroom, letting the boyfriend get some sleep without the interruptions of my sniffling, mad typing and Bon Ivers new album on repeat.
An honest twist on my love for this new album is that it makes my ears hungry for the lo-fi efforts of For Emma, Forever Ago that familiarised us all with the little cracks in our hearts. Obviously the new album lacks the broken romance, illness and log cabin. I suppose I committed the famous mistake of hoping for a For Emma, Forever Ago Part 2. Thankfully it is not complete disaster. Actually it isn’t a disaster at all. Bon iver, Bon iver plays beautiful falsetto layering. It’s well done but still pink in the middle.
For Emma, Forever ago was a pure sole effort scraped together by Justin Vernon alone in his woodland shack. Containing a stripped emotion of heartache and empty black holes, frosty forests and magical words.
The new album instead contains warmer fires, tinkling hope and daring experimentation. It is a fresh creation from Justin Vernon who is joined by band members Mike Noyce, Sean Carey and Mathew McCaughan. The new input is evident when you hear the thicker tracks. There are more instrumentals, an added formal structure and an inkling of optimism.
Since the first album Vernon has recorded in an actual studio which was an ex vet clinic down the road from personal landmarks and childhood memories. He has also worked with Kanye West. No doubt this is where the brighter production values kick in.
The instrumentals consist of African guitars, snare drumming, banjos, saxophone, rattles etc. Which are accompanied by ghostly vocals and lush interludes.
The know-it-all reviewers are gobbling rubbish that an impossible high bar was made for Mr. Vernon. They should swallow those words, really. He has managed to retain his style, write new songs and capture another wonderful album, for a change. Bands are all evolving just as quick as fashion these days. Kerrang is the new Grazia E.g. Alex Turner - lad turned poet...(What a laugh) Bon Iver has retained its individual talent and spirit however, and I worship Justin Vernon for that.