I,I
by Bon Iver

Shortlisted for album of the year at the 2020 Grammys. The winner was When We All fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? by Billie Eilish (Edited)

When the previous album "22, A Million" came out, I felt that it was just "too much", even if I liked the new experimental ideas it brought on the table. "i,i" is the perfect blend between those ideas and the more classic Bon Iver sound, so it's exactly what I needed from Bon Iver. My 2019 AoTY. (Edited)

From buzzdainer 12/12/2020 01:33 | #262576 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

While not quite as experimental as its predecessor 22, A Million, this album is a challenging listen at times, in that it consists of a number of tracks that never quite coalesce into full-blown songs. Rather, this album has a distinctly fragmentary feel to it. At times the experience of listening to it can be a little unsatisfying. Then again, the fragments often have a hypnotic, even transcendent effect that might even be heightened by the way the songs refuse to come together completely. Bon Iver recognizes the value of a great one-liner, and he makes the most of his talent for those on tracks such as "RABi," which has this gorgeous refrain: "So what of this release? / Sunlight feels good now, don't it? / I don't have a leaving plan / But something's gotta ease your mind / But it's all fine or it's all crime anyway." Great stuff from one of the most inventive artists of the decade. (Edited)

the first 3 albums and e.p. were great, but now it seems like he's pandering. These songs are more pop-infused, sing-along, and more collaborative. Not my cup of tea

iMi, Hey Ma, and Faith are all peak Bon Iver. Right up there with his best.

U, Naeem, Salem, and RABi are all quite good as well.

The rest are pretty skippable IMO, which is a shame. They're the only tracks in his discography that I don't really care for.

First time I listen to Bon Iver, not really impressed. Maybe I just understand their music.

From junodog4 01/15/2020 01:42 | #246850

To me, this is the sound of an artist losing his way.

From Brad1770 11/20/2019 06:48 | #245008

The previous 8 comments on this album have rated this album thus:
100/100 (!) , 80/100 , 100/100 (!) , 95/100 (!) , 90/100 , 80/100 , 75/100 , 80/100

Scores like those presumably places this album in the Masterpiece/ All Time Classic / Generational Album category which is somewhat of a stretch to put it mildly

When I hear this album I only hear a confusing array of over blown messy tracks that meander along with layers upon layers upon layers of sound goop painfully thrown in by the 50 musicians who contributed to this release ( you read correct 50 ) all trying to out do each other in a pissing contest. The album tries way way way too hard and seems to say "Look At Me" but there is nothing to admire

100/100 , I think not

From corenfro 11/14/2019 23:07 | #244828

I suppose I'll echo the other comments on here and say that out of all the 2019 shockers this won't get as much attention as it could have gotten if it came in a different year or maybe if it was the follow up to his self titled album, which this sounds to be much more of a natural follow up to.

This isn't out of left field, he's not trying to kid-a his genre anymore. No, in fact it feels like he's finally found the sound he's been after for over a decade. Forget the comments about duds and inconsistency. That's not what my ears hear. All I hear is his honest emotional forward thinking folk artist who has established a sound that is unafraid to be adventurous with lifting sounds from electronica, hip hop and pop.

After getting pretty in to all of his albums I can say definitively:
1. I love the way his voice sounds
2. I have no idea what his actual voice sounds like

I can't say I entirely like all the ways he's mixed his voice or used pitch correction throughout his 4 albums but at this point he has a truly singular voice and production style, and his music is emotional and sometimes gut-wrenching "faith declines"

Way to go Justin thanks for another gem! (Edited)

For the first time, Bon Iver doesn’t take a gigantic leap forward... and the result is still perfection. He blends the sounds and vibes of his first three albums and such a cohesive manner. This will go down as his most underappreciated and underrated album to date, which is a loss to anyone who views this as anything but great music.