Bon Iver, Bon Iver
 

super pumped to listen to this

Has is leaked yet?

Yes.

I cant find it :(

delete some PMs, your inbox is full.

I've listened to it twice already but it hasn't quite clicked with me yet. It is certainly a more upbeat outing than For Emma... The last song 'Beth/Rest' sounds very unusual though, it almost sounds like it's creeping into late-70's AOR territory or something. A very good album though so far and I'm sure I'll grow to like it even more.

5/5.

It's marvelous.

Hook it up brotha.

Better than For Emma as Towers is decent. But other tracks are still there as much for just having a nice sound as anything. The AOR aspect someone mentioned is pretty much a natural progression for him, but hopefully he can steer more towards songs like Towers and have music that grips than is just there for background immersion.

Haha, SO very caught off guard by Berth. Great album though. Needs time to settle.

Ohh damn, can I get a link for this?

Really looking forward to this one

First impression, not as charming as For Emma but a lot more going on musically.

Somebody else mentioned the weirdness of the last song, and I have to agree. Don't really know what to make of it, except it sounds like it was made for the credits to some 80's romance movie or something.

Holocene is probably my favorite track.

Not much longer before I play the eff out of it on my iPod.

Wow. I think this album is an excellent example of a band staying true to its sound, while still evolving. The three opening songs just make me all warm inside. Especially Holocene.

I am also really happy to hear it still sounds very much like Bon Iver as I know it. Pretty amazing album but I can't get into Beth / Rest, just too dentist-waiting-room for me. I appreciate what he was doing there though.

Perth and Calgary were instant loves.

I've listened to the album like 7 times already. I really like Best/Rest, probably because I know the lyrics already.

Funnily enough, I consider 'Beth/Rest' to be the single best thing Justin Vernon's written as a songwriter so far. It's so wonderfully out of place considering the kind of audience/demographic that normally raves about him.

Great record on the whole in any case. Wonder how it will measure up on my AOTY list once all the cards are on the table. :p:

2/5

That's a bit harsh. Enlighten us.

Well my earlier post in this thread explained it. It's too much in the immersion atmosphere style of music without feeling it has solidly crafted music behind it (except for Towers).

In some cases an immersive atmosphere can really help an album, but on this album there is some really great songwriting and arrangements behind it all when you become familiar with it. It took me a few listens to really get into the album and now it sounds better with every listen. It's going to take time to grow on a lot of people.

I can understand how people may like it for the beauty of the sound, but that kind of thing doesn't impress me in modern music as much as it does some people.

who here actually downloaded the album after the accidental leak?

Yes.

I have it preordered though, I'll have you know.

I thought this album was stunning in its beauty the first few times, especially the first track.

go away RIAA

Finally got around to listening to this. Honestly after all the reviews I've heard/read I was really eager to hear Beth/Rest because it's been so talked about. I wasn't nearly as taken aback by it as I was expecting to be - actually, I quite liked it. I heard on the radio that it "ruins the entire album" so I was definitely expecting something a lot worse. After the first listen I rated the album 4/5 but I'm looking forward to listening more and letting it sink in.

I think Beth/Rest is probably the best track sans Towers and Perth.

Gets better with each listen. I've fallen asleep to it many a night now...:)

But is that a good thing? :D

I was a little skeptical because of all the hype, but it really delivers something amazing. After my first listen through I knew I would be listening many more times.

5/5. There's not even a lot to say about this album, it's just amazing from beginning to end.

lol yes it is!

I have tried listening to it a few times and it seems to calm me down some but I've been in a weird angsty mood where I can't listen to it more than a few tracks.

Hmmm a lot of 5/5 and 4/5's, so does that put it over or under For Emma, Forever Ago?

I can't decide, they're very different listening experiences for me. A tie?

Under. Still great, but For Emma is almost perfect.

Seems worthy of a download then, I'm in the mood for some chill stuff. After a couple of listens I will post my thoughts. I'm interested to hear these differences and see what direction Bon Iver has taken because they could've just as easily rehashed the sound of the last album and still achieved great success.

3/5

Well I liked what he tried to do. He definitely tried to make an album that was a step in a different direction from Emma. Ultimately, however, I think his attempt sort of failed, mainly by overdoing the production. All the horns, synth and strings take away from what should have been the focus: his voice and lyrics. I feel like he tries to go for a sound thats atmospheric and solitary, but ends up with something that's just muddled and flat. There are also a couple of complete duds, Beth/Rest being the most notable one. Holy crap that song sucks, like abominably blows. Let's leave that type of production in the 80s, please.

Beth/Rest: