"Bon Iver" - Bon Iver (2011)

The first half of 2011 has been one of the best periods for music that I can remember in quite some time. With new albums by Fleet Foxes, Kurt Vile, Destroyer, James Blake, The Weeknd and EMA that are going to rank amongst my favorite albums for many years to come, these last six months have been very fruitful. None of these albums have come as close to flooring me the way that Justin Vernon's new effort as Bon Iver has, however. Bon Iver's previous full length, 2008's For Emma, Forever Ago was a solid affair, with a couple of great songs, such as "Skinny Love" and "Re: Stacks", but overall it didn't hit me as hard as it seemed to have gotten other listeners. The backstory, in which Vernon abandoned his life in North Carolina to move to an isolated cabin in the woods of Wisconsin, was ubiquitous with the release of the album, but the auto-tuned vocal effects that he used just didn't fit that isolation to me.

Fast forward three years, however, and Vernon's story has taken a 180-degree turn. In the time period since, Vernon has guested on albums by Collections of Colonies of Bees (as Volcano Choir), Anais Mitchell, Gayngs, and most notably Kanye West on his 2010 already-classic My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. These last two guest appearances have had a profound effect on Vernon, with Gayngs leaving a strong late 80's, early 90's cheeseball rock impression, and Kanye bequeathing some of his magical orchestral touch. Unlike Emma's stark, acoustic theme, Bon Iver has one of the more rich, head-space filling sounds that you're likely to hear for some time. This album is full of strings, woodwind instruments and steel guitars, all used to perfection, and throw in the growing confidence that Vernon has in his falsetto vocals and the result is out of this world. This is an album that I strongly suggest to anyone, regardless of musical tastes, and is one that I'll be playing forever....a new classic.

Favorite Tracks: "Minnesota, WI", "Holocene", "Towers", "Calgary", "Beth/Rest"