For Emma Forever Ago - Bon Iver

Ive heard of Bon Iver quite some time before the country went mental (courtesy of Mr. Colin Murray) and everyone started loving them, so for the most part, Ive escaped the super-hype up about them. This is one of the reasons why when I say that this is a good album, I really mean it. Away from all the pressures of the newly anointed Bon Iver fans, I plan to make my judgement. For Emma, Forever Ago, is, I believe, one of the best albums I've listened to. It's just so heart-wrenchingly sad! You can really feel the isolation of the cold cabin that Justin Vernon has endured to make this what it is. This album really gets to me. Whenever I listen to ...  Read the complete review

There's been a copy of this floating about the flat for a few months now but I ignored it till this week, as Mr Neenaw buys a lot of CD's on a whim and a fad, sticks them on his iPod and I'm never bothered by them again. However, since seeing this show up at number 1 on several publications' top CD's of 2008 I thought I'd give it a go and... what a disappointmenet! It's not bad, it's not annoying (I almost wish it was!) it's just mildly pleasant and a bit nothingy. The sound, achieved by one-man-band Justin Vernon holing up in a cabin in Wisconsin for a winter is gentle Americana (as if someone had holed up in a cabin in Wisconsin for a ...  Read the complete review

I find it utterly pointless to give a history of something just to pad out my 150 words. Justin Vernon + Log Cabin = For Emma For Ever This albums is simply one one the greatest album made in the last 20 years. In world full of corporate music and the the overkill of the so called bands you should listen to this album stands out like a shining light. From Opening track Flume which showcases the harrowing brilliance and tortured voice of Justin Vernon i knew i was in for a treat. Each song flows with a melancholic i hope never to experience but adds to the decide mystery of the man and the band. The Album you think ...  Read the complete review

Bon Iver's debut album is one of those albums which came out of nowhere and created a massive impact on the music scene. Many people love this album and I can definately see why. Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) isolated himself in a wood cabin, living day to day, hunting for his own food while creating this album. He needed to catch up with what was going on his head and it created this amazing album. Although some of the music is rather simple acoustic chords, what Bon Iver is really going for here is atmosphere. Where quiet noises are more important than loud ones, where huge vocal harmonies appear from nowhere to create musical bliss. I am lucky ...  Read the complete review

In a time of multi-million pound music videos, TV talent shows and ex stars trying to sell us car insurance, reaffirmation in music is sometimes difficult to find. Occasionally a record comes long that makes you remember why you fell in love with music in the first place. Welcome to Bon Iver Essentially the work of one man, holed up in a cabin with an acoustic guitar - This is as far from a marketing mans dreams as you could get. The instrumentation here is spider-web brittle, sparse waves of guitar and fragile vocals all we get to focus on. Close your eyes and you're transported, sitting around a camp fire, holding hands with a new love, the stars in the ...  Read the complete review