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For Emma, Forever Ago | 
 enlarge | Artist: Bon Iver
Label: Jagjaguar
Category: Music
List Price: £15.49
Buy New: £5.89
You Save: £9.60 (62%)
New (11) Used (3) from £5.89
Avg. Customer Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 1381
Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.2
MPN: 115
UPC: 656605211527
EAN: 0656605211527
ASIN: B0011HF6GE
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| » | Flume | | » | Lump Sum | | » | Skinny Love | | » | Wolves (Act I and II) | | » | Blindsided | | » | Creature Fear | | » | Team | | » | For Emma | | » | Re: Stacks |
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| Similar Items:
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
It's hard to believe that For Emma, Forever Ago is the work of one man. But when Justin Vernon's old band split he hauled himself (and presumably plenty of instruments and recording equipment) to his dad's hunting cabin in the woods of Wisconsin for the coldest season and worked through his issues in musical form. (The name comes from the French for "good winter"--"bon hiver"). By the start of the spring thaw he had recorded the bulk of this stunning debut, originally self-issued to acclaim last year in the USA and now picked up for a British release. Vernon's voice grabs the ear from the start, switching easily into a smooth falsetto (and unusually for a white indie lad, without the slightest intent of emulating Prince). The formula is straightforward. He layers his vocal harmonies, while a gently strummed acoustic rhythm guitar just about holds the centre. All else from horns to slide guitar is mere detail. The quality is rough and ready but the effect is strangely similar though to the slick vocal confections of European women like Bjork and Camille, all mystery and distance. It's the musical equivalent of reading someone else's diary. In code. Through a dirty window. Enigmatic songs like the elegantly stumbling "Creature Fear" with its rowdy horn parts, the resolute opener "Flume" and the evanescent "Team" are just so pretty they seem to glide by without leaving a mark in the snow. Vernon is apparently a straightforward and friendly guy, but For Emma, Forever Ago genuinely sounds like something from a far off place. --Steve Jelbert
Amazon.co.uk Review
It's hard to believe that For Emma, Forever Ago is the work of one man. But when Justin Vernon's old band split he hauled himself (and presumably plenty of instruments and recording equipment) to his dad's hunting cabin in the woods of Wisconsin for the coldest season and worked through his issues in musical form. (The name comes from the French for "good winter"--"bon hiver"). By the start of the spring thaw he had recorded the bulk of this stunning debut, originally self-issued to acclaim last year in the USA and now picked up by 4AD for a British release. Vernon's voice grabs the ear from the start, switching easily into a smooth falsetto (and unusually for a white indie lad, without the slightest intent of emulating Prince). The formula is straightforward. He layers his vocal harmonies, while a gently strummed acoustic rhythm guitar just about holds the centre. All else from horns to slide guitar is mere detail. The quality is rough and ready but the effect is strangely similar though to the slick vocal confections of European women like Bjork and Camille, all mystery and distance. It's the musical equivalent of reading someone else's diary. In code. Through a dirty window. Enigmatic songs like the elegantly stumbling "Creature Fear" with its rowdy horn parts, the resolute opener "Flume" and the evanescent "Team" are just so pretty they seem to glide by without leaving a mark in the snow. Vernon is apparently a straightforward and friendly guy, but For Emma, Forever Ago genuinely sounds like something from a far off place. --Steve Jelbert
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| Customer Reviews: Read 18 more reviews...
 hype July 24, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
a little over hyped i reckon .. but worth 5 stars for 'stacks'and 'for emma' which are just beautiful songs...the rest is weak in comparison
Believe the hype July 17, 2008
I'd be the first to agree that what critics rave about will often mean nothing to 'ordinary fans' and that hyped products (book, music, film, whatever) are often disappointingly ordinary. Good but not that good. It's also clear that many have fallen for the story of how this CD came to be made as much as for the music itself.
With all that said, I have to confess that I've fallen in love with 'For Emma, forever ago'. And when you've been buying recorded music for 35 years, that's an increasingly rare way to feel. So forget the hype and the back-story. This is simply a great record. Beautiful sound textures belie the limited instrumental palate used. Intriguing and evocative lyrics sung in a beguiling, with echoes of Neil Young and Sam Beam and (at least on 'Skinny Love') Gary Clark.
Buy it. Now.
Just beautiful July 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm better at writing about books than music, so I'll keep this short. This is one of the most beautiful albums I have ever heard. Rather than tell you what it sounds like, I'll just say that I have listened to this so many times that if it was a vinyl record, the sound would be terrible by now. (And as a 30 something who seems to get bored with things much more easily nowadays, that is saying something.) Touching guitar, understated production, inexplicable lyrics - this is an album to put your soul at peace. God bless Bon Iver.
 Good indeed July 10, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Not as good as Nick Worrall's debut album which is similar but more homely. This is a real treat though and should not be missed.
my favorite for this year!!!!!!!! June 20, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
play and play this cd and you will feel his voice...his music...into you..its great almost scary so beautifull!!!!!!!!!
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