Soulful, indie folk. Listen to it quick before it ends up on Grey's Anatomy
Isolation and creativity is a marriage known to artists for centuries. From Rainer Maria Rilke, who holed himself up in a castle on the Adriatic to produce his Duino Elegies, to The Bachelorette, the Kiwi keyboardist who shut herself in a small cabin on the coast of New Zealand's north island; artists know that removing yourself from civilization for months on end leads to inspiration and, sometimes, poetry. Without distractions taking up all the thinking space, one's imagination is allowed to stretch it's legs. In the case of Bon Iver, those legs are very long.
Bon Iver (a deliberate misspelling by singer Justin Vernon, apparently, of the French bon hiver) could easily be mistaken for an acoustic TV on the Radio, especially on songs like Skinny Love, and The Wolves, the latter sounding like it's haunted by the ghosts of gospel. Thankfully, that comparison dies a slow but lasting death as you hear more, and by the time you get to For Emma, there is only winter's touch slipping through the door jamb.
Vernon keeps a consistent tone throughout the album, but there is enough difference between each track to keep the sound fresh. As one who has spent a considerable amount of time alone away from friends and family (not as extreme as shutting one's self up in a winter cabin, but close), I can identify with the creative surge that accompanies loneliness. He leaves just enough space between the notes to resonate. There is a sense of distance, a feeling that the characters in these songs--even the songs themselves--are in no hurry to be anywhere. Besides, it's a cold world just outside that door, so let's just remain a little longer.
Comments
nice work on that prediction.