Justin Vernon, a.k.a. Bon Iver, is one of the great melancholists of the 21st century. Painted as the heartbroken, bearded hipster in his forest cabin writing acoustic guitar songs and singing in falsetto, his two albums For Emma, forever ago and Bon Iver, Bon Iver have earned him a deserved spot in homes across the world. Noone did pure beauty quite like him for a while, and he's written his share of modern day classics like "Skinny love", "Holocene" and "Calgary". But then Bon Iver felt to big for him. It's been five years since the last Bon Iver album, and in the meantime Vernon has recorded a beautiful album with his low-profile side project Volcano Choir, and made a few falsetto guest apparences on James Blake, Kanye West and Francis and the lights songs. Now Bon Iver has returned in a new guise. The heavily anticipated 22, a million totally deconstructs Bon Iver. It's music torn apart to little pieces and only sort of put back together. For some it was underwhelming, but for me it stands as a meticulously perfect creation, instantly iconic and fascinating throughout. 22, a million is easily my favorite Bon Iver record yet.
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| Dense, chaotic and cryptic. Not all the symbolism makes sense probably. The cover is perfect for the album. |
The first single from the album was "22 OVER S∞∞N", and it took a few listens to get into, but once I got accustomed to its disorienting chopped-up voices and loose tempo, it grew into a thing of pure beauty, fully as wondrous as earlier Bon Iver's best, but with added layers of appreciation for the beautiful moments, as they're competing against the ugly undertones. I called it "styggvakkert" in Norwegian (meaning ugly-beautiful), and it's a term that describes the entire album.
Maybe Justin Vernon was struck by the same annoying feeling Thom Yorke got around OK Computer times, that no matter what he sang about his voice just sounded angelic and beautiful (one could easily claim that "Paranoid android" would have benefited from some angrier vocals), which caused part of the shift towards the very experimental Kid A. Whether or not that's the case, I could see Justin Vernon getting the same urge to mess things up, which he does very successfully here. Moments like the heavy autotune on "10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⚄ ⚄", the entire vocoder-fest of "715 - CRΣΣKS" and the Mickey Mouse-ing of his voice in the serene "29 #Strafford APTS" just add to the emotional impact when his natural voice shines alone, as on the emotional climaxes of "666 ʇ" and "8 (circle)". They're so beautiful that they make me long for the "old" Bon Iver, but whenever I've gone back to the old records since 22, a million, they just sound boring and I wish for the new stuff.
The record is short, a mere 34 minutes, which makes it a manageable chunk despite its complexity, and also makes me consistently wishing for more. The best moments are always torn unexpectedly away, giving the record a strong forward movement. The tracklisting is absolutely phenomenal, each song benefiting maximally from its position on the album. One of several stunning moments is the transition from the meandering, chaotic, unfocused "21 moon water" to the warm, comforting familiarity of the 4/4 beat on "8 (circle)" - perhaps the best segue on the album.
Lyrically the album is vague and indecipherable, in a similar way as the cover and the unpronounceable, symbol-laden song titles, but when a relatable fragment occasionally pops up the surprise sends chills down your spine. There are themes of social angst, self-doubt and even self-hatred. Between the electronics and abstractions, blunt lines like "I cannot seem to find I'm able", or "I'd be happy as hell if you stayed for tea" jerk you back to the person behind the buttons.
It may feel cold at first, it's been accused of camouflaging a lack of ideas behind faux-experimental mess, but I couldn't disagree more. Beneath the surface, 22, a million reveals itself as a touching, ugly-beautiful piece. It really rewards multiple listens, and I say that in a truly heartfelt way: I've listened to it way, way more times than I would have if it wasn't giving something back.
Best tracks: "8 (circle)", "10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⚄ ⚄", "666 ʇ", "22 OVER S∞∞N"
The record is short, a mere 34 minutes, which makes it a manageable chunk despite its complexity, and also makes me consistently wishing for more. The best moments are always torn unexpectedly away, giving the record a strong forward movement. The tracklisting is absolutely phenomenal, each song benefiting maximally from its position on the album. One of several stunning moments is the transition from the meandering, chaotic, unfocused "21 moon water" to the warm, comforting familiarity of the 4/4 beat on "8 (circle)" - perhaps the best segue on the album.
Lyrically the album is vague and indecipherable, in a similar way as the cover and the unpronounceable, symbol-laden song titles, but when a relatable fragment occasionally pops up the surprise sends chills down your spine. There are themes of social angst, self-doubt and even self-hatred. Between the electronics and abstractions, blunt lines like "I cannot seem to find I'm able", or "I'd be happy as hell if you stayed for tea" jerk you back to the person behind the buttons.
It may feel cold at first, it's been accused of camouflaging a lack of ideas behind faux-experimental mess, but I couldn't disagree more. Beneath the surface, 22, a million reveals itself as a touching, ugly-beautiful piece. It really rewards multiple listens, and I say that in a truly heartfelt way: I've listened to it way, way more times than I would have if it wasn't giving something back.
Best tracks: "8 (circle)", "10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⚄ ⚄", "666 ʇ", "22 OVER S∞∞N"
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