Bon Iver: Bon Iver

     
          Jagjaguwar; 2012
          Dropped by Wilson De Gouveia

In today’s age, music has become a crucial part of our lives. It has become a center for most, representing stability for some and an outlet for others. As listeners we savor the introspection into the life and mind of someone else, and the creators are able to examine and reflect on their emotions and experiences. Music is a guide into the inner workings of a soul as well as a vessel to reach the unexplored and unknown realities outside of ourselves. It takes a certain kind of artist, a certain kind of mind to craft and mold music that can be rightfully considered powerful and moving. Justin Vernon has become one of those artists.

2007’s For Emma, Forever Ago found Vernon at his most bare, pouring the entirety of his being and detailing the anguish and confusion he was living with into a 37-minute confession. With his demons exorcised and relinquished, it seemed possible for Vernon to move on to something else, something essentially less personal but larger in scale and magnitude; something bigger than himself and his problems. Bon Iver, Bon Iver is no longer about a man draining himself of the things he could no longer carry. It is instead about a man with ambitions and a burning desire to explore ideas that are beyond him. Vernon has chosen to reminisce, hope, dream and build rather than wallow.

From the very beginning, Bon Iver, Bon Iver seems larger and bigger in scope than anything Vernon has done. “Perth” opens the album with an absolutely gorgeous and lush guitar riff that repeats and builds until Vernon’s signature falsetto descends from angelic heights. The song expands and grows, breathing in and out like crashing waves, complete with a triumphant fanfare and pounding drums. It is infinitely louder than anything we have been used to hearing from Bon Iver. The song is full and alive, resembling an actual entity, something speaking to you as the words plead “still alive who you love” tirelessly.

“Minnesota, WI” continues to demonstrate the sonic expansion Bon Iver has undergone with the release of this album. Luscious and rich brass instruments weave in and out and the drums emerge and dissipate as the song grows in intensity. The song functions as a proper transition into “Holocene,” a marked return to form and one of the album’s strongest points. The song is subdued, quite and personal, as gentle guitar picking and Vernon’s fragile voice serve as the focal points. The lyrics are intimate and certainly auto-biographical, Vernon narrating “automatic bought the years you’d talk to me/that you played me “Lip Parade”/not the needle, nor the thread, the lost decree” and the chors opening with the haunting line “…and at once I knew I was not magnificent.” The track is bare and exposed, and something that fans of For Emma will instantly appreciate.

Much of Bon Iver, Bon Iver’s magnitude stems from its pacing and arrangements, as tracks morph and meld with each seamlessly, often transforming subtlety within themselves. The sudden cheer and joy that radiates from “Towers” proves that Vernon has decided to focus on multiple aspects of the human condition; straying from the fixation on anguish his previous efforts seemed to emphasize. Bon Iver, Bon Iver is the canvas of an artist anxious to illustrate the entirety of his aspirations and ambitions. Vernon expresses his deep desire to push the boundaries of his sound and truly attempt to create something larger than himself. His lyrics have become entirely poetic, thoughtfully structured and narrated as opposed to his attention simply to how words sounded in For Emma. If one were to unknowingly read the lyrics to “Wash” thoughts of postmodern poetry and cummings-esque syntax and arrangement are inevitable, detailing what appears to be a drunken, tender love letter – one that is both damaged and redemptive. Vernon whimpers: “home/we’re savage high/come/we finally cry/oh and we don it/because it’s right/Claire, I was too sore for sight” as strings flourish behind him like a blooming flower. It’s as tender of a moment as you can imagine.

The album ultimately culminates with “Beth / Rest,” a song whose opening keyboard strikes harkens back to the heartfelt piano ballads of the 80’s. It sounds ridiculous, but the song feels like it’s something Vernon has been working towards his entire life. The tone is sincere, the emotion is sincere, and the instrumentation is tasteful and precise. Vernon’s voice sounds as triumphant and powerful as it ever has, as he proclaims “said your love is known/I’m standing up on it.” With that, the album fades away and one is at first left with a slight sense of bewilderment. But with time, the inner-workings of the music can be identified, and the passion becomes animated and the grandeur is palpable. Bon Iver, Bon Iver is a tremendous effort from a painfully talented musician. With each listen it seems to grow and mature, comfortably confiding with its secrets and dreams. It is not something to be missed.