BON IVER - S/T (Jagjaguwar)

A couple of things I want to say immediately regarding Bon Iver’s (a/k/a) Justin Vernon) self-titled follow up to his spectacular debut album “For Emma, Forever Ago.” First of all, I need to state upfront that I am seldom a fan of the baroque branch of indie-rock that seems to sell so well these days. I’ve never been able to maintain any appreciation for artists like Neutral Milk Hotel, Decemberists, Sufyawn Stevens and Fleet Foxes. I’ve often found their pomp and circumstance a lot of sound signifying nothing compelling enough for me to pay attention beyond a handful of songs. At the same time, admittedly, I’m a big fan of Arcade Fire and The National, both of whom could easily be classified as baroque. The difference, I think, is that Arcade Fire and the National play with a certain punky muscularity and verve that does not rely on, but is nevertheless complemented by, their use of brass and strings, whereas so many other baroque acts hide behind their elaborate instrumentation in order to cloth what are essentially minor folk songs. “Bon Iver” inhabits a sort of middle ground between these two poles of baroque indie-rock. For some this may not be a problem, but for someone like myself I was worried that all that made Bon Iver so compelling in the first place; the stark minimalistic compositions anchored by raw emotion, would end up subsumed in layers of orchestration and effects. Unfortunately, for the most part, they are. Fortunately “Bon Iver” is still an incredibly compelling and beautiful album, even if, in the end it is not as satisfying as “For Emma, Forever Ago.”

The record starts off massive, with military drums and grandiose horns defining the not so subtle sound of “Perth.” The next track “Minnesota, WI” starts off with a spidery guitar motif that recalls post-rock before woodwinds and acoustic guitars change the hue of the song which eventually morphs into a an amalgam of deep bass, and a cacophony of spring-like horns and effects. It all sounds like a mess on paper, yet it is anything but. Once the track concludes, and it is clear that this is not “For Emma” redux, points of reference come flying fast and furious. Upon a couple of listens of this record I described it to a friend as Peter Gabriel collaborating with “Spirit Of Eden”-era Talk Talk. I stand by that description, but would add that occasionally Bruce Hornsby and Don Henley make guest appearances. If either of those latter names scare you off, they should, but worry not, they don’t spoil the album, or at least until the last song, but more on that later.

Vernon has always flirted with some of the less desirable sounds of the 80s and 90s, like the vocoder effect that makes a disconcerting appearance on “Wolves” from “For Emma.” He can’t seem to help himself here either, insisting on indulging in Hornsby and Henley-like adult contemporary keyboards and lite-folk-rock trappings that run throughout the record. On the first few listens these affectations stuck out like a sore thumb, but over time became bearable, even serviceable to the greater whole of the record that is until the inexcusable “Beth/Rest,” which sounds like a god awful yacht rock song. The song closes out the album with grating adult-comtempo keyboards and, the worst sin of all, jam-band like guitars. In listening to the song a few times I have come to realize that it isn’t a bad song at all, it’s just that Vernon’s choice of instrumentation is atrocious at times, and “Beth/Rest” is his worst crime against the senses yet.

All this may sound like I don’t like “Bon Iver,” yet nothing could be further from the truth. I think that aside from these occasional flaws this is an otherwise magnificent record, and only because it is so magnificent otherwise, these flaws are that much more disappointing and distracting. But enough about the bad, what about the good?

The good is the amazing heart of this album which starts around the gentle “Holocene” and ends with the unbearably beautiful “Michincant.” Both tracks hearken back to the minimalism of “For Emma,” yet each are far more ornate than anything on that album. Again, think Talk Talk, not Will Oldham, as a point of reference. In between is album highlight “Towers,” a lively quasi-country number rounded out with perfectly placed slide guitars and soaring backing vocals. “Wash.” is another incredibly executed number that recalls Volcano Choir, Vernon’s collaboration with Collections of Colonies of Bees. What sets each of these songs apart from a lesser track like “Hinnom, TX” is the restraint show both in Vernon’s vocals and his choice of instrumentation, a restraint that is let loose at only the proper moment.

Lead single “Calgary” is also a rather spectacular number, even if it does start out like something off of Don Henley’s “The End Of The Innocence.” The track soars when it hits its stride as Vernon and his accompanists fall into a propulsive beat accompanied by unadorned distorted guitars. “Calgary,” as well as opener “Perth,” proves that Vernon can do loud equally as well as he can do quiet.

It took some time between “For Emma,” which was originally self-released in 2007, and this much anticipated follow-up. In between Vernon has been involved in a wide variety of projects ranging from the experimental Volcano Choir, to the spectacle that was Kanye West’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.” It’s clear that he has picked up more than a few new colors to add to his canvas, and I can’t help but thinking that “Bon Iver” is in some part an experiment in trial and error as he tests out different approaches. Most of them succeed wildly, while some simply do not. If anything, “Bon Iver” has not whetted my appetite enough; instead it has created even more anticipation for what comes next for Vernon. It could go either way given the highs and lows evident here, thankfully there are vastly more of the former than the latter, making me hopeful that Vernon will take some lessons away from this recording and finally make a record that is worthy of the massive shadow that “For Emma” still casts, and that “Bon Iver” simply cannot escape in the end.

"Calgary"


"Holocene" live