Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Ten songs named for places, made over two years in Vernon's new studio with a full band of guests.
Bon Iver, 2011
- Released
- June 2011
- Recorded
- November 2008 to December 2010
- Studio
- April Base, Fall Creek, Wisconsin
- Label
- Jagjaguwar (US), 4AD (Europe)
- Producer
- Justin Vernon
- Length
- 39:25
Perth was the first song begun, early in 2008, and SPIN reported it was tracked over five hours one early morning until Vernon's hands bled. Brian Joseph lived in as engineer, and Vernon brought in saxophones, pedal steel, violins and horns. He said the songs were an attempt to explain what places are and are not. Calgary was a wedding-vow song written with Kathleen Edwards in mind. The cover art is by Gregory Euclide.
iTunes put it on sale by mistake a month early, and it leaked. On release it sold 104,000 copies in its first US week and reached two on the Billboard 200. Pitchfork gave it 9.5 and made it the album of the year, and it won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. AllMusic's Tim Sendra dissented, wishing Vernon had done without the extra players and instruments.
Track listing
- Perth4:22
- Minnesota, WI3:52
- Holocene5:36
- Towers3:08
- Michicant3:45
- Hinnom, TX2:45
- Wash.4:58
- Calgary4:10
- Lisbon, OH1:33
- Beth/Rest5:16
Personnel
- Justin Vernon vocals, guitars, drums, synth, production, engineering, mixing
- Matt McCaughan drums, percussion, synth
- Sean Carey vibraphone
- Mike Lewis saxophones
- Colin Stetson saxophones, clarinets
- CJ Camerieri French horns, trumpet
- Rob Moose violins, arrangements
- Greg Leisz pedal steel
- Brian Joseph engineer
- Greg Calbi mastering
More from Bon Iver
For Emma, Forever Ago (2007), Blood Bank (2009)
Sources
- Bon Iver, Bon Iver, Wikipedia
- Bon Iver: The Craftsman, SPIN (2011-06-29)