New Music: Bon Iver

By Gurman Sahota, October 4 2016 —

After five years, Bon Iver’s much anticipated 22, A Million provides fans with bold, experimental sounds. This is not the same “Skinny Love” that emerged on the acoustic scene in 2008. The change in sound is a welcome shift from the otherwise sleepy sounds that identify the band. 

The album starts as if the band is taking the listener by the hand to experience a dawn, with a slow but crisp start to music. Relying more on instrumentals than vocals, Bon Iver continues to produce songs that ease — or perhaps fool — the listener into consuming the whole album in one go.

However, after beginning with easy listening, there is a change in pace in “715 – CRΣΣKS.” With an ample amount of autotune, listeners might be fooled into thinking the track is of a different genre. Regardless of the jarring change, there is something to be said about the audacity Bon Iver has in experimenting with different sounds than their previous albums. Especially since many artists find their niche and ride it out, the band challenges the preconceived notion of how the band should sound.

“666ʇ” reminds listeners of Bon Iver’s previous acoustically rich sounds, transitioning from old to new.  And paying homage to the romantic sounds of the ‘80s, “8 (circle)” threads together slow music, rustic vocals and choral background singers.

The album never strays from the classic, evocative lyrics of Bon Iver, it is a refreshing collection of songs that will definitely stay with listeners. 22, A Million is an unexpected binge-listen of an album for fans eager for a more mature sound.