Bon Iver
For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)
By Matt Siblo
Published: February 27th, 2008 | 7:05pm
The simplicity of the singer-songwriter’s task is often overstated. Anyone can (and has) pick up an acoustic guitar with hopes of encapsulating an emotion in earnest, but only a select few can justify the exploration. Justin Vernon, the brains behind Bon Iver, set out upon this familiar path. Recording his debut during a Wisconsin winter in his family’s cabin, he mined the perfect context for moody confessionals. As a descriptor however, it is also a familiar trap. Envisioning these songs crafted within wintery isolation is a pleasant thought, but also an easy fantasy. Such myth-making stands as an unfortunate challenge for those trying to describe the beauty and nuance of For Emma, Forever Ago without using its origins as a crutch. Luckily, the strength of the album precedes its folk tale origins.
Too often the singer-songwriter is really a nom-de-plum for aspiring authors, providing sparse instrumentation as nothing more than a vehicle for their lyrics. The listener enters the world of the song’s protagonist, listening intently as the sequence of events plays out. We are left at the mercy of words, either castigating its sentiment or relishing in our identification.
Vernon succeeds not by his narration, although he has created some beautifully cryptic lyrics, but instead with his pointedly unhinged vocal pitch. He can soothe and croon, even opting to finish “Creature Fear” with a whistle. Many of the tracks on For Emma, Forever Ago feature Vernon double tracking his vocals, creating bittersweet melodies with himself. It's his bombastic falsetto however that steals the show. I hesitate to call it “soulful” but its sheer emotional power is undeniable.
This vocal dialectic parallels that of Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam and TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe, two reference points that will inevitably be beaten to death. But if the comparison serves any purpose, it will at least help illustrate the disparity in mood For Emma, Forever Ago creates.
Two tracks sure to receive the most attention are “For Emma” and “Skinny Love,” the latter managing to encapsulate the sentiment of the entire album into a palatable bite size pop song. “For Emma” is even more rewarding, marrying a familiar up-beat country rhythm with breezy trumpet lines. By the time Vernon utters the concluding lines “For Emma… Forever Ago,” he simply hums along with the final stanzas. There’s nothing left to be said.
Issue #35
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LauraLeebove (4 months)
looove this album!!
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