“It’s Bon Iver season,” as some would say when they see the brown fall leaves plummet down to the rain-filled street. That is the kind of feeling you get when you hear the grainy acoustic guitars and distinctive horns on For Emma, Forever Ago. Justin Vernon, Bon Iver’s lead singer and founder, was struggling with an assemblage of problems. He and his band had just broken up and on top of that his girlfriend too. Vernon was severely depressed at this point; he would lay around all day just playing guitar for 3 months. Vernon eventually decided to pack his belongings and go back to his home, Wisconsin, and reconnect with himself and what had been missing from him. He made the 18-hour drive to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and decided to stay in his dad’s hunting cabin, where For Emma, Forever Ago was crafted. This album is really bare-bones compared to his later experimental albums. His latest albums show his electrical side, which is the opposite of For Emma, Forever Ago.
The album starts with the song, “Flume,” a dry guitar with a jovial chord pattern overfills our ears. The song consists of unique and smart lyrics with deep meaning. “Only love is all maroon,” is a good example of how empowering Vernon’s lyricism is. I believe this could mean the color of dried blood, which could represent love and how it hurts and how it doesn’t look good after it’s all done. All these upcoming songs have lots of symbolism and deep meanings just like “Flume.”
The next track, “Lump Sum,” diverges away from the style of the last track and starts with a mysterious chorus sung by Vernon. This chorus then fades into a beautiful pair of kick drums and acoustic guitar. The two are simple but pair together so well and that is what makes up the whole song. “In my arbor, till my ardor trumped, every inner inertia,” is a very confusing lyric as it contains very obscure words that really no one knows. I sense that Vernon is talking about how lonely he was with everything that had happened to him like his breakups, and also him just being isolated in his cabin. These kinds of instrumentals and profound lyrics are really what make the album unique.
Listening to the next track, “Skinny Love,” makes you feel like you are in the cabin with Vernon. The song starts with a gravelly guitar that’s being played in an Open C tuning, which gives the song a lovely mood. Vernon’s vocals really go well with the guitar in this song, and it just works perfectly. It is one of his most popular songs for a reason.
“The Wolves (Act I and II),” introduces a niche effect at the time called Auto-Tune. Vernon’s use of the effect had a great influence on popular trends in the music field and is now very popular today. Vernon uses layered vocals in the beginning of the song all the way towards the end and it makes his voice sound meaningful and painful. Every vocal has a different range, going all the way from highs to lows.
Track 8 “Blindsided,” is also another upbeat song, just like “Lump Sum.” Like the usual strum pattern of his songs, Vernon decided to just pick his bass notes to give a feeling of loneliness and sadness. The song’s title could allude to the feeling of being unaware of his significant other leaving. “Would you really rush out for me now?” could be Vernon talking to his significant other or thinking of how they could just leave all of a sudden.
“Creature Fear,” which is Track 6, starts with an eerie chorus, just like “Lump Sum.” In this song, Vernon could be talking about how his lover fooled him and confused him. The creature that he could be referring to could be his inner self or even his significant lover. Another possible meaning of this song is to be used. “I was teased by your blouse, spit out by your mouth.” This could be saying that Vernon was amused by his lover’s beauty, but they used him for personal gain. The instrumentals on this song though are what really sell it. You get hit with a loud ambiance of just pure guitar, drums, and vocals. They all come together and build the chorus. The song then fades perfectly into “Team,” which is just an instrumental continuation of the song. Good but nothing too special.
The next track, “For Emma,” is probably Vernon’s most recognizable song. The song starts off with a cheerful guitar, along with some simple drums. And to top it all off, Vernon uses a steel guitar in the background, which just adds to the song perfectly. “For Emma” talks about the ending of a relationship and what you do after. Vernon used his real-life hardships and breakups as inspiration for this song. “With all your lies, you’re still very loveable.” Vernon thinks that this person is still very loveable, disregarding everything that they have done. I believe that Vernon finds it very hard to let go of this person, which typically happens at the end of relationships. “For Emma” really captures emotions and feelings that any other song can’t. This song resonates with people who listen to it and that is very understandable.
The last track, “Re: Stacks,” is almost like a final goodbye. “Re: Stacks” only contains just guitar and vocals but still hits. The song talks about moving on from everything. Going through sadness and withstanding things that you think you can’t. “It’s the sound of the unlocking and the lift away, your love will be safe with me.” Vernon talks about his lover leaving, but he reminds them that they will be always welcome to come back. The track consists of lots of confusing and head-scratching lyrics like “On your back with your racks as the stacks are your load.” Another confusing one is, “There’s a black crow sitting across from me, his wiry legs are crossed, he is dangling my keys, he even fakes a toss, whatever could it be, that has brought me to this loss.” Overall, For Emma, Forever Ago is an Indie Folk classic, and has solidified Bon Iver as one of the best Indie Folk bands. Some other Bon Iver projects worth listening to is his self-titled album, Bon Iver, Bon Iver. The album has the same gritty and raw style as For Emma, Forever Ago, but just a little more refined and arranged. Bon Iver also has some singles worth noting. “Beach Baby,” is a good single that captures all the feelings you get from every song on For Emma, Forever Ago, and puts it all into one song. Another popular single that you might have heard is “Rosyln.” It features St. Vincent, another singer, and they both harmonize together over a guitar, and it is one of his best singles. If you’ve ever watched Twilight: New Moon, you would probably recognize the song, as it was featured in the movie.