For Emma, Forever Ago

I love music and I love to find albums that let me put it on repeat and listen to it over and over again. A few weeks ago a friend introduced me to the album, For Emma, Forever Ago from artist Bon Iver (proounced bohn eevair and is French for ‘good winter’). The first listen was captivating. It is a simple record based around an acoustic guitar and a vocalist that reminds you of TV On the Radio. It’s layers become evident the more you listen and reveals how un-simple the record really is. The track that caught my ear was “Skinny Love,” a song that has you belting out the chorus about a relationship broken and the desire for the other to be heard. It’s been my go-to song lately. Every chance I get it’s playing through the headphones. The story behind the record puts a smile on my face. One lone man, Justin Vernon, moved to a hunting cabin in the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin. We learn from his band bio that, “All of his personal trouble, lack of perspective, heartache, longing, love, loss and guilt that had been stock piled over the course of the past six years, was suddenly purged into the form of song.” The lyrics are intense and the music sparse yet the overall album is smart and forever intoxicating. It is not over produced, you can tell it was barely produced at all. The ability to share the loneliness and heartbreak lends a beautiful hand towards honesty. I believe it is a must have for the music collection. It will leave you singing, “my my my my my my, my, my.”

A video for the song Blindsided to get a feel: