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Bon Iver

Bon Iver

Bon Iver

Follow-up to the acclaimed For Emma, Forever Ago from the American indie/folk band fronted by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon

ADM rating[?]

8.3

Label
4AD
UK Release date
20/06/2011
US Release date
21/06/2011
  1. 10.0 |   Uncut

    Fully realised in its ambition, Bon Iver possesses all the austere beauty and understated emotiveness of its predecessor. Print edition only

  2. 10.0 |   God Is In The TV

    Justin Vernon may have just bettered what is already considered a classic debut album. This is a glorious, daring record that deserves to be huge
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  3. 10.0 |   The Skinny

    A compelling listen from start to finish
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  4. 10.0 |   The Guardian

    Bon Iver remains rooted in the emotional sincerity that made Vernon's debut so mesmerising
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  5. 10.0 |   Evening Standard

    If his last album struck a chord, this one strikes dozens
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  6. 9.5 |   Pitchfork

    After the closeness and austerity of For Emma, Vernon has given us a knotty record that resists easy interpretation but is no less warm or welcoming
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  7. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    Bon Iver feels a lot more open than Vernon’s previous work, the sound of a lonely guy taking his first steps into a larger world
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  8. 9.1 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    If there is one coup on Bon Iver that stands above the others, it is Vernon’s ability to fluidly evolve his sound without losing himself in the proces
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  9. 9.0 |   Paste Magazine

    One of the most satisfying responses to a hyped debut
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  10. 9.0 |   Blurt

    Vernon has brilliantly broken through with this musical maturation
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  11. 9.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    A beast almost as beautiful as its predecessor, only in a completely different way
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  12. 9.0 |   FasterLouder

    Vernon can be considered one of the few truly great songwriters and arrangers in the music world, possessing the ability to create a timeless work of near-infinite depth, and Bon Iver merely underlines this assertion
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  13. 9.0 |   BBC

    One of 2011’s most absorbing, affecting and downright brilliant LP
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  14. 9.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    Simply the lush-est, loveliest album of the year
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  15. 8.7 |   Beats Per Minute

    A rich and intricate collage that shows restraint in its cascade of ideas as well as Vernon’s maturity as a songwriter
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  16. 8.5 |   Independent on Sunday

    An album as rich as For Emma... was sparse
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  17. 8.5 |   The Quietus

    It's peppered with goosebump moments, never predictable, ravishing in its sound and romantic in its intent
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  18. 8.5 |   The AU Review

    An excellent second release from a band with an unfathomable amount of promise
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  19. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    It’s a work of imagination
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  20. 8.0 |   Spin

    As with any great folktale, what you hear inside the sound is ?up to you
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  21. 8.0 |   Mojo

    This time Bon Iver's musical palette u=is a far broader, full-blown band affair. Print edition only

  22. 8.0 |   Q

    Those who wondered where Bon Iver could possibly go after For Emma, Forever Ago, need worry no more. He's out of the woods and the view is beautiful. Print edition only

  23. 8.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Bon Iver creates an arresting atmosphere that doesn’t require any knowledge of Vernon’s biography to shine
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  24. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    It’s a more polished affair than the occasionally rough-hewn debut, synthesisers and saxophones (and space, so much space) guiding and colouring its frosty soundscapes
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  25. 8.0 |   Slant Magazine

    A fitting next step in Vernon's evolving artistry, exuding complexity and magnetism while still managing to be accessible
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  26. 8.0 |   Clash

    A wonderful, worthy follow-up
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  27. 8.0 |   Daily Telegraph

    This is that rare thing, an album that reveals more on each listen
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  28. 8.0 |   State

    A brave and beautiful album
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  29. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Much more cinematic and expansive than its intimate predecessor, making full use of Vernon's touring band and additional musicians, Bon Iver is a very different beast
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  30. 8.0 |   Under The Radar

    A brave and emboldening record
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  31. 8.0 |   The Observer

    Vernon's focus has widened but his strange siren song is just as alluring
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  32. 8.0 |   Bowlegs

    Represents a mature evolution in sound and makes us keen to see the next step
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  33. 8.0 |   Entertainment.ie

    The subtleties of the recording technique employed by Vernon on this record maximises the effect of every instrument in the mix
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  34. 8.0 |   No Ripcord

    The sound still exudes the vulnerability and genuineness so beautifully imbued in its predecessor
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  35. 8.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    Ultimately, Bon Iver is the sound of growth, of growing pains, and the sound of grounding, of tearing new ground. If it aches, it aches like any natural growth, with beauty and wonder.
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  36. 8.0 |   Prefix

    No cabin, no crazy backstory. Just a great, inventive album
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  37. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Fully realised in its ambition, Bon Iver possesses all of the austere beauty and understated emotiveness of its predecessor
    Read Review

  38. 7.0 |   NME

    The sound of a man making peace with the world
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  39. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Vernon is more than a bearded indie rocker with a taste for rural roots music. He's a soul auteur, and he's just getting started
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  40. 7.0 |   The Digital Fix

    Has a fuller, more complete sound and while this may be more accessible to the average music buyer, the effect is, it has to be said, slightly less interesting
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  41. 6.0 |   PopMatters

    He won’t gain any new fans with Bon Iver, but anyone who enjoyed For Emma, Forever Ago will no doubt find something to enjoy here
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  42. 6.0 |   The Scotsman

    Predominantly downbeat and mournful
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  43. 6.0 |   Rave Magazine

    In the end, this record shows Vernon and Bon Iver as they should be thought of – moderately talented songwriters who can pen the occasional winner amidst otherwise average content
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