For Emma, Forever Ago

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For Emma, Forever Ago
Studio album by Bon Iver
Released	February 19, 2008 May 12, 2008
Recorded	Nov. 2006-Dec. 2007
Genre	Indie, Neo-soul
Length	37:19
Label	Jagjaguwar (US) 4AD (UK)
Producer	Justin Vernon
Professional reviews
AbsolutePunk.net (92%) link All Music Guide link The A.V. Club (A-) link Boston Globe (favorable) link CMJ (favorable) link Wireless Bollinger (83/100) [1] Delusions of Adequacy (very favorable) link MOJO New York Times (favorable) link NOW Magazine link Pitchfork Media (8.1/10) link PopMatters (7/10) link Spin Magazine link Stylus Magazine (B) link
Alternate Cover
This is the original cover of the album, before it was redistributed by jagjaguwar

For Emma, Forever Ago is the first album from Wisconsin's Bon Iver. It was self-released in 2007 and received wider release on the Jagjaguwar label in February 2008 (and on the 4AD label in the UK in May 2008).

Contents 1 History and Description 2 Reception 3 Track listing 4 Personnel 5 Chart performance 6 References

[edit] History and Description

Following the break-up of his previous band, Justin Vernon secluded himself to a cabin in northwestern Wisconsin for three months planning to "hibernate." Three months of solitude resulted in the creation of For Emma, Forever Ago. "All of his personal trouble, lack of perspective, heartache, longing, love, loss and guilt that had been stock piled over the course of the past six years, was suddenly purged into the form of song." ^[1]

The record is entirely the creation of Justin Vernon, "despite its complexity, the record was created with nothing more than a few microphones and some aged recording equipment." ^[2] The album was self-released in the fall of 2007 and quickly gained attention from various influential magazines like Pitchfork. In February 2008, the album was re-released through the Jagjaguwar label with a new album cover. In May 2008, 4AD picked the album up for release in the UK and Europe.

As a gift to fans, people who pre-ordered the re-release received a free Bon Iver poster, and people who downloaded the album from iTunes received a free bonus track, "Wisconsin." ^[3]

[edit] Reception

For Emma, Forever Ago was received very well by critics. It has an 89 rating on Metacritic, earning it the "Universal Acclaim" tag. ^[4] In an early review the influential online magazine Pitchfork rated it very favorably and "recommended" it as well as including it in their list of the best albums of 2007 ^[5]. The New York Times called the record "irresistible."^[6] May 2008's edition of the British music magazine MOJO rated the album five stars, and tagged it with the title "MOJO Instant Classic". Other recent albums given the same tag on release include: The Go-Betweens album Oceans Apart, as well as the 2006 album The Black Swan by Bert Jansch.

Criticisms of the album sometimes center around the audio quality of the album, pointing out that it's hard to make out words during certain parts of songs (lyrics are included in the album's booklet). But these reviews are often hopeful for better things: "If he relies just a little too much on the atmosphere and creaking spaces between notes filled by the character of the cabin in which he recorded, that's something that more recording, more songwriting will surely fill out." ^[7]

[edit] Track listing

1. "Flume" - 3:39
2. "Lump Sum" - 3:21
3. "Skinny Love" - 3:59
4. "The Wolves (Act I and II)" - 5:22
5. "Blindsided" - 5:29
6. "Creature Fear" - 3:06
7. "Team" - 1:57
8. "For Emma " - 3:41
9. "Re: Stacks" - 6:41
10. "Wisconsin" - 5:24 (iTunes-only bonus track)

All tracks written by Justin Vernon

[edit] Personnel

Justin Vernon: Vocals, Instruments

[edit] Chart performance

Chart (2008)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200	181
U.S. Top Independent Albums	26
U.S. Top Heatseekers	3

[edit] References