New Bon Iver is here, and you know what that means. The season is officially Autumn, no matter what the calendar says, and your cabin in the woods is waiting for you with hot chocolate, stacks of blankets, crying moose and a picture of your ex or two.
It’s been three long years since our favourite autumnal god, Bon Iver, properly pronounced as ‘Boney-Vair’, gifted us an album to fuel our fires as we wind down on armchairs and look out our windows to check on our deer.
2016’s 22, A Million was definitely met with mixed criticism for its sharp departure from the expected wintery ballads that Bon Iver presents us when he so pleases. The album was experimental and glitchy, with a large majority of critics heralding it as incredible, while some fans failed to wrap their heads around such odd sounds.
Plus, the song titles were a bit strange for fans and newcomers to digest, but aren’t they always a little odd with Bon Iver? Tracks had names like ’10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⚄ ⚄’ and ‘715 – CR∑∑KS’, but god were they good.
And now, Bon Iver is back with i,i, and after giving it a few relaxing listens, these are our first impressions.
Try not to cry to ‘Hey, Ma’ from Bon Iver’s new album below:
First of all, the album is pretty fantastic. There’s no beating around the autumn bushes with this one, it’s just straight-up glorious.
Taking the experimentations of 22, A Million and dulling them down into marvellously subtle moments, Bon Iver has managed to accumulate all the skills he has learnt since his debut, For Emma, Forever Ago, and present them in such a way that can only be described as masterful.
The album comes in at around 39 minutes, which is the usual length of a Bon Iver project (none of his albums go past 40 minutes), and this feels perfect for i,i. Instrumentation creaks like old floorboards in the almost ethereal slow-burner ‘Sh’Diah’, and the refrain of “all around me I can hear crying” on ‘Naeem’ is nothing short of an emotional pack of dynamite, as it explodes halfway through in a blaze of raw vocals.
Highlight ‘We’ feels dark and menacing, something Bon Iver has definitely tried to achieve in the past with much success. However, there’s a feeling on triumph that creeps throughout the song, almost as if you’re sneaking around every corner the 2-minute experience has to offer, hoping not to be caught by the mystery voice that hums and sings around the background.
Ending on ‘RABi’ is a treat in itself, with time feeling like it hasn’t moved at all since abstract opener ‘Yi’. Sounds start to slow down and become calmer, and it all feels like you’ve just opened the doors to your home, and felt the sunlight on your face in the first time since forever. It’s truly a magical experience, and the perfect way to tie up the album.
Listen to final track ‘RABi’ below:
Any fan of Bon Iver’s will appreciate this project with open arms, while those unaccustomed to his music and stylings, will definitely find this album incredibly accessible.
So far, although it’s only early days, the album is looking to be an incredible contender for one of this years best.
Highlights: ‘iMi’, ‘Naeem’, ‘Salem’, ‘We’
