<p>The <a href="/music/album-review-bon-iver-i-for-emma-forever-ago-i" target="_self">story behind
the recording</a> of Bon Iver's debut album, <em>For Emma Forever Ago</em>—an album that made it on pretty much everyone's Best of 2008 lists—has
achieved fairly legendary indie rock status: broken-hearted, his band
disbanded, and having fallen ill, Justin Vernon takes to his father's
cabin in the remote woods of Wisconsin to put his life back in order. A
kind of 1960s-style return to the land—rest up, chop wood, all that.
Without intending to, he starts writing and recording a handful of
songs, songs that turned into <em>For Emma</em>, one of the most
beautiful and impressive debuts in recent years. It's a great album;
I'm sure you've heard it; no need to really labor the point.</p>
<p>There
was, however, some legitimate concern that Vernon would be a kind of
one-hit wonder. An amazing album that came out of such profound loss
and disillusionment could, very easily, have an incredibly
disappointing follow-up. The second album isn't out yet, and we don't
have word on release dates, but at the end of January, Bon Iver
released a 4-song EP called <em>Blood Bank</em>. The title track was meant to be on <em>For Emma</em> but was left off because Vernon couldn't make it fit in with the rest
of the album. I'm not sure how out of place "Blood Bank" would have
been on <em>For Emma</em>, but the three other songs that Vernon writes
to fill out the EP certainly go a long way to assuring us that Bon Iver
will be around for many years to come—and putting out a lot of good
songs along the way. "Beach Baby" is a pretty straightforward, quiet
acoustic guitar song with some brief pedal steel backing. "Babys"
features an extended, almost George Winston-like droning piano intro and
outro. "Woods" is the most interesting track here: nothing but Vernon
(on <a href="/music/why-should-i-care-about-auto-tune" target="_self">autotune</a>,
of all fucking things) overdubbing his voice on multiple harmony
tracks, endlessly repeating the lines "I'm up in the woods / I'm down
on my mind / I'm building a still / To slow down the time," which builds
to a gorgeous layering of, at least, six tracks. I'd say it's reminiscent
of Imogen Heap if that weren't really just an insult to Bon Iver.
Anticipation builds for the second album.</p>
<p>"Woods"</p>
<p>
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</p>
<p>"Blood Bank"</p>
<p>
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</p>
Zach Kaufmann
bon iver rare interview, classic indie rock canon dogma, myth
the-feed
1
2009-02-04T13:34:53-05:00
<p>Bon Iver's story is now classic: alone in the woods with a cabin, an ax and a guitar. Out comes a gorgeous debut. Judging from his recent EP, the next album will be just as good.</p>
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The Fertility of the Woodshed
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2009-02-04T13:43:29-05:00
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