Three full years on from 22, A Million, Bon Iver return with a fresh new album following their trajectory of increasingly coded album titles (the next one will probably just be a single underscore). A press release describes the bands evolution: From the winter of came the frenetic spring of , and the unhinged summer of . Now, fall arrives early with i,i. The album features the fried cerebral electronics exhibited on 22, A Million side by side with the buttery brass arrangements that stood out on Bon Iver, Bon Iver, bringing s vocals into sharp focus. And its as if hes got more to say now than ever before: It feels very much like the most adult record, the most complete. It feels like when you get through all this life, when the sun starts to set, and what happens is you start gaining perspective. And then you can put that perspective into more honest, generous work - and nothing screams perspective and maturity like a reminder to call your mom. The tender Hey, Ma features Vernons soaring voice (I waited outside, I was tokin on dope, I hoped it all won't go in a minute) over a lush bed of synth pads and chipmunkd vocal flourishes. Vernon & squad cover a ton of ground without repeating anything: Jelmore sounds glitchy and -heavy (Vernon: I never leave the house without it), like 22, A Million in all the right ways, while the comparably stripped-down U (Man Like) sounds like Vernon and co doing a Controversy-era cover at some college piano bar on a tour stop. The epic Faith starts with tempered acoustic strumming, choral harmonies and strings before giving way to a crescendo of electric guitar and thecharred remains ofwhat may have been a chart-topping EDM beat. Krauty grooves and vintage afrobeat keyboards coalesce serendipitously on "Salem," and "ShDiah" isasublime, atmospheric falsecodabefore the lighthearted actualoutro, "RABi." Apparently it takes a village to make a record, and in addition to a core band consisting of longtime collaborators , Andrew Fitzpatrick, Mike Lewis, Matt McCaughan and Rob Moose, Vernon enlists the help of , s Bryce and Aaron Dessner (Vernon and Aaron released a full-length collab as last year), , Francis Starlite, Naeem Juwan (yes, Spank Rock! and one of the songs is even named after him!),Bruce Hornsby, s Channy Leaneagh and more. Black vinyl pressing housed in matte gatefold jacket with spot gloss accents and clear printedslipcase with full-color 28 page booklet, all designed by Eric Timothy Carlson (22, A Million), recommended.
- black vinyl pressing
- matte gatefold jacket w/ spot gloss accents
- housed in clear printedslipcase
- includes full-color 28 page booklet
- music label: Jagjaguwar 2019
