Customer Reviews

For Emma, Forever Ago

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I can see why reaction to Bon Iver is so fragmented. There are those who hail it an instant epic, and others who think its pastoral nonsense. I'm somewhat in the middle - granted, these sorts of slow burner indie-folk albums aren't for everybody, but there is definitely something more special about this particular album - more so because its a concept album about that most universal of animals - lost love.

While the harmonies here are subdued and very, very slow-paced, the atmosphere of the entire album is what makes it work. There is a heady iciness to the entire venture, a sort of morbid sadness even, one that permeates every single track. Like Camille's "Le Fil" which had a drone running through each song (and for minutes after the last song played), this mood of sombre melancholy is present in spades on this album, and this also works for it.

The centerpiece is the two-suite "The Wolves" and the luminous "Team". None of these songs work especially well on their own. Like any good novel, each song blends into the other so that the album needs to be listened to in chronological order. Bon Iver's mastery of the sparse musical medium is astounding, and the way he makes every track here speak its' own unique brand of solitudinal longing, is a work of art waiting to be unraveled.

For many people who read this positive review, you might well buy this album and be shocked by the 'dull', 'slow' songs therein. This is in part true. It takes a while to 'get' what the artist is trying to accomplish here, but if you approach this as a rich experimental piece worth investing in, you just might reap some invaluable rewards.

Highly Recommended.

Upon hearing "Skinny Love", probably the most accessible song on "For Emma, Forever Ago", it was running through my head the rest of the week as I played it over and over again. This should in no way denigrate the rest of the album, which packs a surprising punch in 9 subtle songs. It would be easy to just treat "For Emma..." as background music, but a careful listen reveals layers of melody overlaid by Justin Vernon's impressive vocals.

"The Wolves (Act I and II)" starts off slowly but builds into a powerful message at the album's core:
What might have been lost
Don't bother me
The title track "For Emma" further embellishes on what might have been lost with a mixture of trumpet and strained guitar. The crooning of "Creature Fear" builds into the wonderfully moody instrumental "Team".

It is often mentioned that this album was written over the course of 4 wintry months in a Wisconsin cabin. Stereotyping the quiet solitude of this album on its origins is unfair, however: this isn't just one of those singer/songwriter efforts you hear about some guy writing on his own out in the woods; it is the epitome of a singer/songwriter recording the heartfelt musings of life in isolation.

I highly recommend this album--it's subtle tones on first listen grow into brilliance.

I'm afraid to listen to this record too much as I don't ever want it's brilliance to dim. Best thing I've heard in quite a while. Let's see, Feist was the last artist that moved me like this, not that Bon Iver is anything like that and he'll probably never be over played in trendy boutique, but there's something so deep and soulful in the plaintive whisperings on this record. Mostly it's quiet, mostly it's bone chillingly beautiful. I actually bought it with Neil Young's Live at Massey Hall, and they somehow speak to each other with a sidelong glance to Vashti Bunyan's Lookaftering. Take a chance on this like I did, you won't be disappointed. I hope to hear more from Bon Iver!

The creation story is already a legend.

As winter descended, Justin Vernon moved to his father's cabin in the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin. He was "60 miles away from anyone I love, sometimes more like 1500." But he was "about 18 feet away from everything I love" --- a pile of old guitars, a mound of microphones, wires, chords, electric boxes. For several months, he dug in, chopping wood, thinking, writing, playing, recording. When he emerged, he had nine songs, about 35 minutes of music.

He smartly added a bit of production here, some backup there, and let the music breathe. Overnight, a cult formed. Now he and his two-man band are known as Bon Iver --- a play on the French for "good winter" --- and his debut CD is on all the best iPods.

The creation story hasn't hurt. But this is one time an ascent is almost totally because of the musical achievement. Here's Vernon's take:

"It's been painted in the reviews of the record as this magical four months of hunkering down and writing a record. In reality I headed out to the cabin because I just didn't know what to do next in my life. Once I got there though it just felt like all the blocks that I had put in my brain and heart in terms of musical expression started to loosen. They had been there for so long and the only thing that was able to loosen them up, and loosen me up, was having that much space...."

Space, as it turns out, is the glory of "For Emma". The lyrics are sparse and enigmatic --- the opening lines of the CD are "I am my mother's only one/It's enough" --- and sometimes they're more sounds than words. The music will strike prissy listeners as mere strumming. If there's a clear gift here, it's Vernon's voice --- he can go falsetto so fast and true that even Neil Young has to bow.

The triumph lies in Vernon's ability to bring you to the very gates of mystery. He not only explores inner space, he creates it. You'll experience open fields, open hearts, what Vernon calls in one song "the sound of the unlocking and the lift away". In its small size lies its vast power. And more: It makes you feel peaceful. And hopeful in the way that you sometimes feel hope at the far side of tears.

"For Emma" is gossamer --- you may not remember how most of these songs go.

But be warned: It imprints. Very, very deeply.

I am absolutely in love with this album and yes, it is past the lust stage. I simply can not stop listening to this album. "Flume" and "Skinny Love" are my personal favorites but this is one of those albums where you dont really want to skip and you can listen to over and over. You will thank yourself for checking this out.

I only have one minor problem with this album: its entire second half. I love the first half of the album (okay, and the song "For Emma"). But each of the remaining songs is either annoyingly repetitive and non-melodic, or meanders so aimlessly that it sounds like it's being improvised late at night by a bunch of stoners. Even "Skinny Love", my favorite song, is great but sounded better live on late night TV than it does on the album. I appreciate the band's talent, and obviously I'm in the minority with a critical review, but I personally think they could have made a much better album than this.

For Emma, Forever Ago is one of those works of music that is hard to say exactly what it is about it that connects. For me, it's like reading poetry that I really don't understand, but leaves a ghostly trace for some moments afterward, that intuitively tells me this was time well spent.

Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks" would probably be the epitome of this and I am not implying that this album approaches that level, but it flows, is lyrical in word and music and just sounds right. Justin Vernon certainly has developed his own sound and it will be interesting to see where he goes.

I picked this item up on vinyl from a local record store, but I've had it on my Amazon Wishlist for a while, so I figured I'd write a review. The music itself is excellent, and is in keeping with the other high reviews on this artist/album. Very heartfelt, one-guy-and-his-guitar-in-a-cabin-in-the-woods-reflecting-on-life. Great listening for a rainy day or evening, or just when you need background noise for an introspective moment. Regarding specifically the vinyl copy of the album, this is a quality pressing which is of the same audio quality as the CD release. Additionally, my copy from the record store included a coupon inside for a free digital download of the album (I can't guarantee that Amazon copies offer the same deal). If you enjoy Bon Iver, vinyl, and are looking for easy listening, I highly recommend this album in this format.

This is outstanding, probably one of my most favorite albums over the last 15 years. If you like folk rock music even a little then this is a must have. I spend about two hours a day in my car for my commute, this is one of my go to CDs for driving music.

Okay, hushed vocals, simple delicate melodies, understated instrumentation. I should love this album, but I don't. I'm just *meh* about it. Why, you might ask? What did this poor, sad man, hunkered down in a Wisconsin cabin, plunking away on rusty instruments - ever do to you?

Nothing of consequence.

However, upon first and repeated listenings of "For Emma, forever ago" I was extremely frustrated at Bon Iver's inability to properly enunciate his lyrics. They sounded like a garbled mess, with me and several friends only able to make out about every other sentence. Anyone can "look up" the lyrics and say they understand them, I challenge a first time listener to understand anything at all he is saying. This is frustrating because of the fact this could be a great album. This album is rife with emotion, that comes through in his vocalization and the music alone - his lyrics would complete this package. Unless he's going for a Cocteau Twins = nonsensical vocalization thing, which I highly doubt.

Before you buy this album buy, Iron and Wine's - Our Endless Numbered Days, or the Woman King EP, or The Creek Drank the Cradle for a hushed wispery vocal delight - if you're into that sort of thing. Which you obviously are if your checking this album out.

Don't get me wrong, the album is not hideous by any means - but instead lacks polish. A good producer would have made him re-record the unintelligble portions of his vocal tracks. Don't be roped in by the "emperor's new clothes."