Details: Bon Iver: Bon Iver, Bon Iver. Jagjaguwar, 2011. Total time: 39:28.
Justin Vernon (b. 1981) of Eau Claire, Wisconsin burst on the scene in the late 2000s and this is technically his band's second album (the first, For Emma, Forever Ago, was independently produced). No sophomore slump here as this is an outstanding offering of great symphonic sounding indie rock.
The band's and this album's name are derived of all places from the old great TV show, "Northern Exposure;" whose characters greeted one another with the French phrase "bon hiver" (good winter). Vernon dropped the H which is silent anyway and...voila.
It's said that each song represents a place -- some are obvious from the titles such as "Perth"; "Minnesota, Wisconsin" (one of the best songs on the album); "Calgary"; and "Lisbon, Ohio." Musically the album is dense with strings, guitars, horns, keyboards, synths, woodwinds, drums and so on. Lyrically, too, this is a very dense album with poetic lyrics that are more word-sounds than anything really, delivered in Vernon's familiar falsetto.
While Vernon gets good assistance from other musicians he is the clear creative leader having written all the songs, played numerous instruments and handled the vocals.
All in all a moody, atmospheric, symphonic beauty of an album which is strange and soothing. For example, the consecutive songs "Hinnom, TX" and "Wash." are hypnotic and brilliant. "Wash." has repeated piano chords at the beginning and midway point that sound like what gently falling snow looks like. Perfect for a dark cold winter evening. Bon (h)iver, bon (h)iver!
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