The Saturday Sound — Week 10
Bon Iver — i,i
By Gavin Dransfield
During a five-year hiatus following their self-titled release in 2011, Bon Iver underwent a complete metamorphosis. The band, led by principal songwriter and vocalist Justin Vernon, and made famous by unforgettable tracks like “Skinny Love,” “For Emma,” and “Holocene,” forwent the familiar acoustic strums and lush atmospheres of their previous work in favor of a glitchy, electronic landscape full of otherworldly noises. This landscape came to us as 22, A Million, an intriguing and at times harsh album which I personally still have mixed feelings about. At its core, it’s still Bon Iver, but its territory ultimately feels unfamiliar to both artist and listener, and isn’t easily traversed by either.
But if 22, A Million is a maze, then i,i is the map leading to the exit. In their most recent release, Bon Iver plucks the experimental elements from 22 and sets them against a welcoming backdrop of true indie folk, making for what may be the band’s most triumphant endeavor to date.
The introductory “Yi” delivers a series of jarring, overdriven sounds that almost resemble the ambience of some industrial workplace — scuffling footsteps, men talking across an open space, and rhythmic, airy bursts of noise in the background. It seems like an aimless, insignificant recording right up until it leads into “iMi,” at which point the sounds take on a tamer, more pleasant nature. In comes a rhythm, a gentle synthesizer, and a handful of distorted vocal samples, which then set the stage for an acoustic guitar and Justin Vernon’s rich, distinct voice. And at this point you’re thinking, “Now this is Bon Iver.”
The ensuing track is bright and beautiful, with uncommonly straightforward and sincere lyrics:
“Living in a lonesome way / Had me looking other ways / ‘Cause I am, I am, I am lost here, again / But on a bright fall morning, I’m with it / I stood a while within it.”
Bon Iver’s breakaway from the abstract, whimsical writing they employed for years is handled with a graceful simplicity that most especially belies the themes of 22, A Million — a record centered on the intricate woes of uncertainty. Here, in “iMi” and beyond, we find an unprecedented meditation on hope and closure.
Among the other standout tracks on i,i is “Hey, Ma,” a soulful and pleading track which may as well be considered this album’s “Skinny Love,” with its catchy, memorable chorus and its moving words:
“Full time, you talk your money up / While it’s living in a coal mine / Tall time to call your Ma / Hey Ma, hey Ma.”
“I waited outside / Then you took me in the room / And you offered up the truth / My eyes crawling up the window to the wall.”
Then there’s “Faith,” in which Vernon begs the question:
“Am I dependent in what I’m defending / And do we get to hold what faith provides?”
The vulnerable spirituality of this and other tracks on i,i paints the band’s direction in a completely new light when contrasted against the melancholy and chilly atmospheres of earlier works such as “For Emma, Forever Ago.” This is also reflected in the nuanced instrumentals that dot the surface of i,i. Plinky synthesizers, bold strings, rich saxophones, and colorful effects complement the folk-infused core of the album throughout its entire runtime. Each song is a foray into a new, peculiar forest of emotion that never stops bleeding Vernon’s passion, visible in every second until the final track fades out.
i,i is something more than a journey. It’s a return to a long-lost and long-forgotten home; it’s the culmination of an emotional recovery or a lifelong endeavor; it’s the end of a maze. These songs are not instant classics like many of their predecessors, but they’re easily superior in terms of their power and their sincerity. It’s still a new flavor of Bon Iver, but it’s one that you will want to revisit again and again. Each listen will bring you something new, and each listen will take your heart places you never anticipated. The journey will be more than worth it every time.
Stream the album:
