Bon Iver, ‘for Emma’

Bon Iver's Bon Iver is Justin Vernon returning to former haunts with a new spirit. The reprises are there – solitude, quietude, hope and desperation compressed – but always a rhythm arises, a pulse vivified by gratitude and grace notes. The winter, the legend, has faded to just that, and this is the new momentary present. The icicles have dropped, rising up again as grass.

Recording over a long time at April Base in Wisconsin but finishing at Sonic Ranch in Texas allowed us to feel confident, comfortable, and completely free of distraction. The sense of community around the record grew through honest, generous inspiration within the group of artists involved in the creative process of the record. The thirteen new songs on i,i complete a cycle: from the winter of For Emma, Forever Ago came the frenetic spring of Bon Iver, Bon Iver, and the unhinged summer of 22, A Million. Now, fall arrives early with i,i.