First, Bon Iver, Bon Iver is not For Emma. Not that it could be, as For Emma was more of a slice of a man’s life than it was some mp3s, and subsequently became part everyone’s life who have remotely felt that kind of heartbreak. Bon Iver, Bon Iver is a band album, with Justin Vernon as the frontman and arranger. It is Vernon leading us on a journey outside the cabin, to a landscape of rich sonic textures only hinted at in For Emma.

It’s hard to separate what we know about Justin Vernon’s past few years from actually listening to this album, because it seems so much of his recent experience has shaped this new sound. He’s learned to be part of something bigger than himself. Perhaps that’s why he has two drummers, a brass section, and at least three guitars on almost every song this album. Justin’s falsetto moves over to make space for steel guitars, saxophones, synths, and, perhaps my favorite element of the new album, crackling guitar tones. Most importantly, his innate sense of melody is still present, though it’s utilized by different players in the band this time around.

The stand-alone songs, the ones that have verses and (sometimes) choruses, are great. “Holocene” sounds like a throwback to Vernon’s Self-Titled record, with a big emphasis on the shimmery acoustic guitars, complimented nicely by precise and steady drummers. “Michicant” has a waltzy quality about it and, again, the acoustic guitar tones are sublime. The proclaimed “single,” “Calgary” has great hooks, and a drum section that really pushes the song to another level. Once you get over the keyboard sound in “Beth/Rest,” you will cry your eyes out (it also helps to pretend you’re in an 80’s romance movie). The melodies are as poppy as Justin gets on this album.

Then there are tracks like “Perth,” which has an unforgettable melody doubled by the guitar (or, depending on how you look at it, Justin’s voice), but only utilizes it twice and then continues on the journey. This reveals our biggest problem with the album: it’s a great album on the whole, but the individual songs don’t hit as hard as For Emma’s did, in fear of disrupting the sonic flow of the album. Vernon sacrificed the more traditional song structures for a more texturally cohesive and interesting album. This is a great album, no doubt about it, and we enjoy it very much. But in sacrificing the individual songs for the greater good of the album, Vernon made just that: a great album in which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Reviewed by INDIGENOUS intern: Will Sturgeon 

12/ For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver

11/ Self-titled by Broken Social Scene

10/ Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams

9/ Oh, Inverted World by The Shins

8/ Kid A by Radiohead

7/ I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning by Bright Eyes

6/ Turn On The Bright Lights by Interpol

5/ Cease to Begin by Band of Horses

4/ Is this It by The Strokes

3/ Funeral by Arcade Fire

2/ Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco

1/ In Rainbows by Radiohead

9/ Self-titled by Small Black

8/Julian Plenti is…Skyskraper by Julian Plenti (aka Paul Banks)

7/  XX by The XX

6/ Love Comes Close by Cold Cave

5/ Vectkatimest by Grizzly Bear

4/ Album by Girls

3/ Wolfgang Amadeus by Phoenix

2/ Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective

1/ It’s Blitz by Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs

New Moon Soundtrack Track Listing:

01. Death Cab for Cutie – Meet Me on the Equinox
02. Band of Skulls – Friends
03. Thom Yorke – Hearing Damage
04. Lykke Li – Possibility
05. The Killers – A White Demon Love Song
06. Anya Marina – Satellite Heart
07. Muse – I Belong to You (New Moon)
08. Bon Iver & St. Vincent – Roslyn
09. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Done All Wrong
10. Hurricane Bells – Monsters
11. Sea Wolf – The Violet Hour
12. Ok Go – Shooting the Moon
13. Grizzly Bear – Slow Life
14. Editors – No Sound But the Wind
15. Alexandre Desplat – New Moon (The Meadow)