The Wake

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

You have heard it a thousand times: jaded rock stars whining about drugs, alcohol, sex and the woes of life on the road. It is hard for the average person to connect to such an aesthetic; however, a refreshing change in subject matter can be found in For Emma, Forever Ago. The debut by Bon Iver is an album inspired by real life, hard work, and a harsh Wisconsin winter.

Bon Iver, misspelled French meaning “good winter,” is the pseudonym of Justin Vernon, former member of the disbanded rock-folk group DeYarmond Edison. After the break-up of the band, Vernon returned to his home in Wisconsin where he secluded himself in his father’s hunting cabin for four frosty months. He filled his days with simple work: sawing and hauling firewood, trips on the tractor and recording. From the loins of this wintry seclusion was born For Emma, Forever Ago, an album dripping with layering harmonies, evocative metaphors and ardent acoustic strums.

The opening track, “Flume,” immediately brings the listener into the album’s rustic aesthetic. Vernon’s double-tracked falsetto, accompanied by simple acoustic chords lures us into his wintry world. The song swells and fades while Vernon’s voice, his most powerful instrument, carries us along for the ride. His lyrics provide similes and alliteration that conjures up powerful imagery: “Only love is all maroon/ Lapping lakes like leery loons/ Leaving rope burns– reddish ruse.”

A few tracks later “Skinny Love” envelops the listener in the neo-soul rhythm and power of the song. With a commanding chorus, Vernon demonstrates that he can not only mesmerize us with his unhinged falsetto, but also pack a powerful vocal punch. Background clapping gives the track a homemade feel, as if you are actually sitting in Vernon’s cabin witnessing his musical confession of a failed romance.

Later in the album, the tracks, “For Emma,” and “Creature Fear,” feature drums and horns. The inclusion of these instruments does not break the ambience of the album, but instead creates songs that are mounting and cathartic. Lyrically the album can range from highly poetic, to muddled and incomprehensible. However, in the case of For Emma, Forever Ago, much of the beauty lies in what Vernon doesn’t say, and is left to the power and emotion already contained within his whimpers and sighs. Vernon closes the nine-track album with “re: Stacks”, a haunting song, both in its chilling delivery and message about nature catching up with us.

For Emma, Forever Ago is an album that feels real. Through simple instrumentals and heartfelt expressions of common sentiments, Vernon has created a living, breathing piece of art. Although each individual track has power of its own, it is the album as a whole that will leave you pleasantly numb. The experience will send Vernon’s bastardized French straight to your heart and make you look at winter, and life in general, in a more positive light.

Bon Iver - For Emma