Bon Iver- Bon Iver

Justin Vernon emerges back into the world, blinking in the sunlight

Kanye West may be many things, but no one- be it celebrators or detractors- could call him subtle. He deals in bombast, be it simply rapping over a Daft Punk song and then releasing it as a single or cavorting at the Brits with 50 gold-plated ladies.

But towards the end of his acclaimed last album, something very odd happens. Suddenly away from the bragging and self-indulgence, the heavily-autotuned-but-still-heavily-recognisable voice of Bon Iver front man looms large (or quiet, as is his style). It’s not all that effective, but it’s the bizarre endpoint of a slow-and-steady Earth swallowing two years in the making.

Bon Iver’s first album For Emma, Forever Ago was a critical monster, rightly lauded as a masterpiece. So how do you follow it up? Well, Vernon’s answer seems to initially be go 80s. Despite the baulking that may induce, with the exception of the woeful final track Beth/Rest (a horrible, Jennifer Rush-styled ballads, complete with an unbearable drum machine backing), this just means infusing everything with a beautiful keyboard wash.

This then, is the yin to For Emma...’s yang. Where the former was lost in despair and gut-wrenching regret, the eponymous follow-up is the sound of a man emerging from the wood cabin For Emma...was written is and quite literally rediscovering the outside world. Rather than just use them to fill in the blanks, Vernon has employed his band as full collaborators, making the sound less intimate than before, but no less warm, and filled with sheer warmth.

The difference is immediately clear. Opener “Perth” spreads out in the earlobes, the synth wash utterly reassuring. Here and on the wonderful “Holocene”, brushes tap out a gentle military beat, just enough to give the album a forward momentum not previously possible, while Vernon himself really tests where he can take that emotion-packed voice of his. Across the record, it’s less affected then ever, no longer shyly disguised but brought front-and-centre. “Minnesota, WI” and Hinnom, TX (yep, all the titles are named after places important to the band, further extending that personal touch) find that voice even venturing lower in the register, revealing a powerful baritone burr hitherto unheard.

As nice as the sonic warm glow is, it does occasionally have the effect of losing individual high points- it’s an overall masterpiece rather than leaving songs stuck in your head for days. Lead-off single Calgary is the exception as the best thing on offer, shuffling along before bursting wide open in its glorious, soaring chorus.

On For Emma...Justin Vernon managed the most amazing thing, breaking stony hearts both critical and public across the globe. For the follow-up, he clearly set himself the target of gluing them back together. Thanks to this album’s intense joyful power, it’s something he’s achieved with ease.

5/5
Best Tracks:
Calgary
Holocene
Perth
Minnesota, WI