Bon Iver, Bon Iver
by Bon Iver

From doombringer 01/30/2025 10:45 | #307321

I'm not quite sure ... it seems this very short album ( about 40 minutes ) is a bit overrated .

Both the perfect sequel and pairing with the first album. Takes a lot of the same sounds and ideas and really polishs them.

This album shows clear progression from the straight folk masterpiece debut from Bon Iver with elements of electronic and manipulation of sound and voice starting to show. It pays off as a great blend of styles and shows that Bon Iver was not going to rest on laurels

From Jboy56 05/11/2022 13:00 | #285221

Did not get it with #1 listen. Dreamy, a bit of a bland experience. Not for me

An album that is headlined by Holocene but has a few songs not far behind in terms of quality. Bon Iver have mastered this soft and delicate sound and this record is no different. Most songs have touching vocals paired with some smooth and moving instrumentation. It does a fantastic job of making people emotional even if they weren't emotional when they started the album. Instrumentally, it is a beautiful album as well with some brilliant piano playing that is heart wrenching in places. I am a huge fan of the vocal also and find it to be a big strength on every Bon Iver release. Where the album is let down is the weaker tracks. A few songs do have quite confused instrumentation that doesn't fit into their soft style. They do suck you out of the album as well and it drags this record down a lot. Overall, this album has some of the groups best songs but also has weak spots that hold it back.

The instrumentation comes across as amateur. The drums, for example, frequently sound as though someone who is not a drummer gave direction to the actual drummer. I can’t put that into better wording, but it’s there (at least in my ears).

As for the rest of the band, there’s a lot going on, but it’s all missing a critical edge to offset Vernon’s decidedly non-edgy voice.

Great stuff!

From VictorVale 10/05/2021 14:18 | #274700

Um dos grandes álbuns da década. fez escola aqui!

From buzzdainer 06/03/2021 03:09 | #270300

On this album Justin Vernon and company take a baby step toward the electronic effects and song fragments that dominated 22, A Million. But it really is just a baby step. This album is comprised of songs, and what great songs they are, headlined by "Holocene," which might be Bon Iver's best song. It has a simple, lovely repeated acoustic guitar picking pattern, and the song has the unforgettable line, "And at once, I knew / I was not magnificent." Before the country descended into the coronavirus pandemic, Bon Iver was the last band I saw live. And "Holocene" was the last song they played that night at the Kettlehouse Amphitheater in Missoula, Montana. The song's beautiful final line, "I can see for miles, miles, miles" felt like it hung in the air for a long time after the show ended, and in some ways, since I still haven't seen any live music since that night, it feels like it's hanging in the air even now.

Emotionally poignant, this album WILL make you nostalgic for memories you didn’t know you had. Sonically mesmerizing and orchestral in its approach, I can’t think of a single low point in its tight 40 min runtime. One of the best of the 2010s, easy.

Highlights: Holocene, Perth, Towers, Beth/Rest