More on: Bon Iver

Label: 4AD
Release Date: 12/05/08
Rating:

Bon Iver take us on a trip through nine tracks of lost love and romantic yearning out to the wilds of Wisconsin to confess tales of guilt, regret, but ultimately hope, on 'For Emma, Forever Ago'. 'Flume' features haunting double tracked vocals, acoustic guitar and establishes a campfire feel that continues throughout the album. It is achingly beautiful and also points to the theme of nature that runs throughout.

Much of the lyrical content of the record appears to concern the breakdown of a relationship, but at times this becomes more ambiguous; the title of the record itself sounds like a eulogy and there are numerous maternal references, particularly on 'Flume'. The instrumentation is deliberately sparse, most tracks comprising of just voice and acoustic guitar although the title track features some stately brass, and 'Lump Sum' some exquisite, reverb drenched slide guitar. 'The Wolves (act I and II)' just about manages to pull off the use of a vocoder and the backwards drums and fireworks bring the track to an endearing close as Vernon laments "what might have been love".

'Skinny Love' is the bittersweet high point of the album, Vernon's words spilling out, one moment crooning to his 'skinny love', the next bitterly recalling a list of 'told-you-sos' before boiling over into frustration: "now all your love was wasted? Then who the hell was I?"

At times the intimacy of the record is almost too much to bear - there is a distinct feeling of voyeurism when listening to the likes of 'Skinny Love' and you get the impression that these songs are a form of exorcism and would have been written regardless of recording commitments. 'For Emma, Forever Ago' is an album for late at night, to be consumed in solitude; an immensely personal record wracked with guilt and regret, a confession to the night sky and all the better for it.

Andrew Grillo

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