My intention for this list wasn't necessarily to pick my top 25 favorite albums, and I wanted to highlight bands that maybe people haven't heard much about yet. So naturally, I pick an album that likely goes against both of those things. Originally self-released and then picked up by Jagjaguwar, For Emma, Forever Ago is a sparse, hauntingly ruminative collection of songs focusing on a theme of missed opportunities and bittersweet memories. At least that's what I think it's about based on how it sounds. Every time I listen, I get so swept up in Justin Vernon's vocals (eerily reminiscent of TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe) that I can't focus on what he's actually saying.The story behind this album is that Vernon, after splitting with his former band, isolated himself in a cabin in the Wisconsin woods and wrote/recorded most of the songs on For Emma. And that's exactly what it sounds like it. "Skinny Love," which I first heard on a TV show at some point (I think it was "Chuck"....) is immediately accessible. You'll be humming it for hours after hearing it. Although short, For Emma requires patience. But making it through to the end is a reward, as two of the best songs ("For Emma" and "Re: Stacks") close the album.
Vernon has made appearances on a number of the late-night talk shows in the past couple months, and with a new EP (Blood Bank) garnering high praise, it feels like he might be on the verge of breaking into the mainstream. His sound is slowly veering away from "acoustic Thoreau", but as for this album... you probably won't want to listen to it on a sunny, Spring day. So before winter is over, get your introspection on and listen to Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago.
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