Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Justin Vernon must have found himself in a tough spot writing the successor to his 2008 opus, For Emma, Forever Ago. That album is so special on so many levels that it can be difficult to pin down what established it as such a seminal work in such a short amount of time. Some connect with the story behind it – that romanticized, nearly transcendental tale of love lost and redemption found. To others, it’s a photograph in nine songs – a heartbreaking portrait of a man, a guitar, and a cabin.
Bon Iver immediately establishes itself as something different. Vernon isn’t a struggling songwriter in a cabin anymore. He has seen the world, and, presumably, come closer to discovering his place in it. Justin Vernon has been reborn, and unfortunately the album suffers for it.
If any album can be summed up by it’s opening track, it’s Bon Iver. “Perth” starts wonderfully, hooking you with a perfectly atmospheric, nearly ethereal guitar lick. It’s classic Bon Iver, demonstrating Vernon’s knack for unlocking the elegance in simplicity. The chorus, ushered in by a surprisingly throaty drop, carries the same subdued power. “Still alive for you.” Brilliant.
And then, with all the subtlety of a brick to the face, we’re subjected to an extended, ham-fisted breakdown section. It’s tacky, brawny, and almost amateurish. Perhaps if Vernon had found a better way to ratchet up the tension before diving headfirst into an ocean of racket the second half of the song would have been more effective. There is no tension, however; “Perth” is just a song with split personality disorder.
From there the album is equally confused. “Minnesota, WI” features some smooth guitar work, though it ends up sounding like Vernon is doing his best Shepard’s Dog-era Iron & Wine impression. Then there’s “Holocene,” which is ripped straight from the title track of Vernon’s solo EP Hazeltons, and thus comes off as Bon Iver doing its best Justin Vernon impression.
So goes most of the album. The songs that feature Vernon as himself shine brightest, such as the twangy “Michicant,” which remains grounded thanks to his steady – and vulnerable – vocal performance. It’s hardly Vernon’s best work, but it features a level of maturity and grace notably absent from the rest of the album.
And yet, despite all this, I don’t hate Bon Iver. This isn’t strictly the Justin Vernon show anymore, at least not to the extent For Emma was. The name of the album says it all – this is what Bon Iver the group sounds like, and as a group they still have a lot of growing up to do. For right now, however, they’ve created an album with an identity crisis, featuring a leading man who is trying to move on from that cabin in Wisconsin but either can’t or doesn’t yet want to.