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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A stunner!, January 21, 2009
Bon Iver (essentially Justin Vernon and a couple of bandmates) burst out of the frozen Wisconsin north woods in 2007 with "For Emma, Forever Ago" - a record of quiet, contemplative and deeply felt songs triggered by the ending of several relationships, both personal and professional. Vernon took advantage of his months of isolation to craft a set of emotionally direct songs that sometimes employed rather oblique lyrics, and his not-for-everybody falsetto singing was said to be either enchanting (most critics) or off-putting (many music fans).
But as word spread about "Emma" and Bon Iver played more and more live shows (even turning up on late night TV on rare ocassions) his fan base grew, and an increasing number of online reviews labeled "Emma" an emotional masterpiece.
If you're new to this artist, you should probably begin with "Emma" to get a sense of his unique style. Fans of that record, however, will find much to love on "Blood Bank," which contains several tunes written and/or recorded around the same time period. The title cut is especially strong, with sharp lyrics and strong guitar work.
The first three songs could easily be outtakes from "Emma," and all are easily the equal of anything found on that record. It's the final cut, "Woods" that is the wild card, and the one that is likely to sharply divide dedicated Bon Iver fans. Making use of the Auto-tune technology currently in vogue among hip-hop artists like L'il Wayne and Kanye West, Vernon electronically distorts his vocals to the point where he sounds almost machine-like. Repeating four simple phrases over and over ("I'm up in the woods/I'm down on my mind/I'm building a still/To slow down the time") and gradually adding high-pitched howls, the song builds to a kind of haunting grandeur, and the howls begin to sound like wolves far off in the distance on a frozen north woods evening. Some will hate it, but personally I think it's a stunner, and it hints to me that Bon Iver is an artist who is brave enough and talented enough to challenge himself and his fans. That's an encouraging sign for the future.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Soulful, January 20, 2009
This EP is a good sign for people who liked Bon Iver's first album. The tunes are soulful and share similar aspects to the LP: the falsetto voice layered multiple times, the trance-like repetition that builds to an emotional release, the cryptic lyrics.
There is also experimentation. "Blood Bank," is recognizably written for a full band. "Beach Baby," uses a slide guitar solo. "Babys" uses piano, one note repeated for tension. He uses a similar technique with his voice and guitar, but the piano adds a new tone. But these are small experiments.
The big surprise comes with "Woods," when he uses vocoder. This song needed to go last, because I don't know what you could put after it. In the beginning the vocals are high in the mix, but as the song progresses the same repeated lines are sung in different ways and recorded differently, some with harmony, some distantly reverbed; it all creates a huge emotional space. My favorite part is when he strains the heights of his register. Amazing.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely!, January 23, 2009
"For Emma, Forever Ago" was one of my favorite albums of 2008 and this little EP is a great way to kick off 2009.
I'm always a bit worried that a great first album will be followed by one filled with lesser tracks, as if the artist sunk his best work into the first, but can't create at the same level again. All four of these songs are quite strong and, to my ears, extremely beautiful and catchy.
My only complaint is that I want more.
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![listen to your big brother's record collection [PART ONE]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YmZWe9RIL._AA60_.jpg)
by Bon Iver 
