Bon Iver

Bon Iver | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 21, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Jagjaguwar
• ASIN: B004XE0P5E
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (123 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #1 in Music > Indie Music > Rock > General
  • #1 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Indie Rock
  • #48 in Music > Rock

Editorial Reviews

Bon Iver's Bon Iver is Justin Vernon returning to former haunts with a new spirit. The reprises are there – solitude, quietude, hope and desperation compressed – but always a rhythm arises, a pulse vivified by gratitude and grace notes. The winter, the legend, has faded to just that, and this is the new momentary present. The icicles have dropped, rising up again as grass.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

95 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver, June 27, 2011

By 

Andrew Vice (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bon Iver (Audio CD)

Well damn, this is a changeup. Vernon has taken a huge (and very ballsy) step in releasing this record under the same name as 2008's brilliant For Emma, Forever Ago, which is more or less the polar opposite of this year's self-titled record. Where For Emma was a hushed set of crystalline dirges, Bon Iver is absolutely exploding with sounds and instrumentation and ideas. For Emma was the sound of a man and his guitar, pouring out his heart and purging the demons that haunt him, but Bon Iver is the logical follow-up: the purge was successful and now Vernon has a fresh heart and soul to express more than just the idea of pain and hurt. I get why For Emma fans are not necessarily huge fans of this record, but just as Burst Apart was the logical step forward from Hospice, so too is Bon Iver the progression from the cocoon of For Emma. You absolutely have to come into this record with an open mind and not expect for it to sound like For Emma, but if you can do that, you'll find Vernon's aggressive use of instrumentation and melody to be compelling and, ultimately, stellar. On Bon Iver, Vernon has shown us that he can do far more than make us cry, and he does it all so well it's almost hard to believe.

47 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous, melodic, mature music, June 30, 2011

By 

M. Morris (Arlington, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bon Iver [+Digital Booklet] (MP3 Download)

Some of these reviews are hilariously awesome. I love the funny stuff people say when they hate something so much! I dig the album. Gorgeous and textured. Mature and melodic. It kind of just rolls out of the speakers without you really knowing when one track ends and the next begins. The lyrics are nearly indecipherable. The song names are gibberish. Call it overproduced or whatever, but what does that really mean. It's beautiful music. His previous stuff was great too. Who cares if this is different. Don't get so attached to what you think an artist should sound like - you'll only end up disappointed. I do think the last track is a bit of a trip. Jimmy Fallon busted his chops for it - comparing it to Bruce Hornsby. I can't disagree with that simple but fairly accurate comparison. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Confused by fellow reviewers, July 6, 2011

By 

inlovewithtroy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bon Iver (Audio CD)

Just listened all the way through and I freakin love it!
Not sure why so many do not but I enjoyed the listening experience immensely!
I own all of his previous work and enjoyed this new offering by vernon simply because it was a bit different. And though different it still sounded very much like his own.
I say buy it and love it unless you just enjoyed the emma album b/c of it's distinct rustic sound. If you love Justin Vernon I don't see how you could be disappointed with this album.