Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
15 February 08
4AD is delighted to announce the forthcoming release of For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver.
Every record comes out of a specific time and place, but that's more true of this one than most. At the end of 2006 Bon Iver's Justin Vernon spent 3 months alone in a log cabin in Northern Wisconsin, seeking silence, simplicity and solitude. The intention was to fill the time with physical chores - splitting wood, gathering food - but out of this period of isolation and contemplation, music started to emerge. The unexpected, triumphant result was an album of singular beauty.
Adopting the the nom-de-plume Bon Iver (a deliberate mis-spelling / adaptation of "Bon Hiver", French for "Good Winter") Vernon self-released For Emma, Forever Ago last year. He didn't expect a great deal to happen - only 500 copies were made - but word of mouth spread fast, and the initial pressing quickly sold out. Now the record is to receive a richly-deserved wider release through Jagjaguwar in the USA and 4AD in Europe.
These songs transcend the limited means - a couple of microphones, a baritone guitar, two drums, a horn and a reverb pedal - that Vernon had at his disposal. They unfurl with the quiet force of Spring, expanding beyond their hushed beginnings, throwing off vibrant colours. “I recognize that the record is enigmatic and special in a strange way," says Vernon. "I can’t take full credit for it, and I was the only one there".
Bon Iver - who play live as a three piece - are currently on tour with Black Mountain in the USA and they will be playing three times at South By South West next month.
For Emma, Forever Ago will be released on May 12th. News of European touring plans will be announced soon. In the meantime, you can download an MP3 of the track "Skinny Love" here.
Links :
Bon Iver Myspace
Bon Iver at Virb
Quotes :
"Irresistible." The New York Times
"Bon Iver is simply astounding." Stereogum
"The album is a reminiscent, ruminative collection of songs full of natural imagery and acoustic strums - the sound of a man left alone with his memories and a guitar... Rarely does folk - indie or otherwise - give so much over to ambience." Pitchfork