After the breakup of both his relationship and band about two years ago, Bon Iver (real name Justin Vernon) moved to an isolated cabin in Wisconsin where he hunted and made music for three months. The resulting For Emma, Forever Ago is remarkable for its sincerity. At his show at AS220 last winter, even a deaf person must have found the intensity remarkable with Vernon, sweating like Shaquille O'Neal, eyes either clenched shut or tearing, essentially squeezing out the vocals in his tender falsetto. Mixing that falsetto, multi tracked guitar strums, and his own background harmonies, Vernon provides everything from a a triumphant trumpet section on the title track to a winning single with a Cat Stevens like chorus in 'Skinny Love' . Never lost in the sad bastard lyrics is a real pop sensibility that keeps the songs playing on repeat in your head long after you've stopped listening. The problem with making music by yourself is that you miss out on a producer's advice, namely, to make songs that don't tend to run together, especially the instrumental and boring 'Team'. That said, for a record made in isolation, Bon Iver manages to create an incredibly universal feeling.
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