In true Christopher McCandless style, Bon Iver (MySpace page) decamped to the wilderness to seek some purity. Following the breakup of his band, he moved to a log cabin in Wisconsin to write and record the album For Emma, Forever Ago, which was released late last year. This unbelievably (at times uncomfortably) personal album is a revelation, though the backstory to it has been overplayed a bit by the media.

How and ever. ‘Flume’, the opening track, is a very simple melody played on a bedraggled acoustic guitar, and sounding like something out of a confessional singer-songwriter’s album circa 1972. The lyrics remind me a little bit of Mark Hollis - lines like “Only love is all maroon, Lapping lakes like leary loons” can not really make sense to anyone other than the author. But the opening line:

I am my mother’s only one
It’s enough

are very poignant in an understated, hard to describe way. As an opening line, it gives extraordinary meaning to the song and its creator. There are references to the womb throughout the song, and you get the impression that that’s where he’d like to be. The first time I heard this song, I paid little heed to the words. But looking at the lyrics, it’s very meditative, and would stand up beside the best that Neil Young ever offered.

Bon Iver’s voice in this song is striking. He comes across as a slightly higher-pitched Skip Spence, quite similar to Neil Young but in a less child-voice way. The beautiful melody of course compliments the voice, and the lazy acoustic guitar and minimal, ethereal background all add up to an atmospheric, magical song that’s both relaxing and very thought-provoking. Here’s a really nice version of the song - if you like it, check out ‘Skinny Love’, another favourite of mine from the album.

Last 5 posts by Dave

• 'Coffee & TV' - Blur, 1999 - December 3rd, 2008
• 'Paranoid Android' - Radiohead, 1997 - December 1st, 2008
• 'Katrina' - Black Lips, 2007 - November 27th, 2008
• 'Strawberry Fields Forever' - The Beatles, 1967 - November 25th, 2008
• 'Adagio for Strings' - Barber, 1936 - November 21st, 2008

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 11:36 am and is filed under Alternative / Indie. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.