Album of the Week: For Emma, Forever Ago

Hi folks. In a holiday break from my usual esosteric reviews of jazz and other non "popular" music, here's an absolutely fantastic album of folk-rock. Yes, this week's album is "For Emma, Forever Ago," by Bon Iver.

Now, I'm the first to admit that my current musical knowledge tends to be about 2 or 3 years behind the curve. Meaning, I discover new music about 2 or 3 years after the rest of humanity discovers it. I don't know if I'm secluded or what, but that's just the way it is I guess. This particular nugget was originally released in winter of 2008.

I purchased this cd with some Christmas money, so I've only listened to it about 2 or 3 times through thus far. I can't claim to have any great knowledge, but what has been really striking me thus far is the overarching tone of the songs; the unmistakable "calling card" of the music. Bon Iver is basically a pen name for Justin Vernon, the artist that lies behind this music. And apparently, if what I read on Amazon is correct, Vernon basically hauled himself into a secluded cabin in the Wisconsin woods and created this album throughout the winter, by himself. That setting is incredibly evident in the songs. I can't quite explain it in words, but were I to try, I would say that there is a haunting to the music, one that can be colored only by heartbreak. In this respect, this album is actually reminding me a lot of Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks," at least in how it manages to maintain such an emotional undercurrent to the music.

Bon Iver is much more stripped down than Dylan though. That's another striking aspect I feel, how naked every song feels. It's not that the music isn't complex, there are some tracks like "Blindsided" that have some fairly intricate horn and guitar parts, but they never seem to get in the way from the simple emotion of the music. I think part of that comes from Vernon's voice, which definitely is one of the most unique that I've heard in a while. He has a very intense falsetto, but keeping in character, it never gets overwhelming.

In sum, the overall aural experience of this album is akin to sitting in a giant pillow, in a brain fog such that you cannot notice a dagger made of frozen tears stabbing you in the heart, but not really minding that much, because the dagger is so pretty, and your brain is so fogged.

Definitely, I think my favorite song on this album is "Re: Stacks." Catch a clip of it here. I have no idea what the lyrics mean yet, but it's a good introduction to the album I think.

So yes, I don't have too many specifics for this album, since I've only listened to it on cursory passes thus far. But I do know that I like it, so I think that should probably suffice, considering this is my online space. Most definitely, it's a good album for the dark winter, with cold nights. Like right now.