Facts when this dropped after the hiatus I threw in my headphones and laid down in my bed and closed my eyes. It’s almost acid to me. I still go back to this album for that feeling of transcendence
Yea same I had known about bon iver for years but tbf i always thought it was vanilla white people indie music. Around 2018 ish i was super into Frank ocean’s blonde, tlop era kanye and stuff like that and i was desperately fiending for alternative type music that blended autotune, bassy production and what not, then somebody recommended this to me and I was instantly hooked, it was the perfect amount of weirdness I wanted
Idk how to explain it but it's catharsis incarnate. Every time I listen to it in full, I full like I've grown. This man is the greatest artist of all time imo.
This is one I never thought you two would get to. I love how disjointed this album can be at times, it’s not an easy first listen. It was very much Vernon experimenting and trying to find a new direction. Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino when?
This is an album I always feel like a crazy person when trying to explain how amazing it is. Your right, Its not an easy first listen but your first listen will be the time you like it the least. Its only up hill from there. It reminds me of a comment someone made under fantanos review. He said this album is a 7/10, then replyed to his own comment two years later saying it was a 10/10, then replyed again 2 years later saying its the greatest album of all time. That is the jouney right there lol
This reminds of when he won Best New Artist at the grammys and the phrase "who is bonnie bear" started trending on twitter lmao. Wonder if Justin would've still chosen that name if he knew how big he would've gotten.
29 Strafford APTS is my favorite Bon Iver song. It's the quintessential example of how much emotion a song can communicate simply by its soundscape alone. Ultimately that's what I think is the point of the whole record. Don't even have to know what the lyrics are or mean. Just beautiful like a piece of visual art
this album really proves the human neurological ability to expect familiarity when listening to music, and when it isnt familiar, it doesnt stick to us whatsoever, and it's why when you re-listen to something again and like it more, its because you could expect what is coming. Your dad saying how it isnt connecting is exactly what most of us felt when we first listened to it, and when you listen again you can go in with trained ears and can connect to it more. It's why pop music is so easy to listen to, because your brain has a pretty good idea about what is coming next. Love this album, it's just extremely overwhelming in the first half. The calmness of the second half is what brought me back to listen to it again.
This comment should be pinned. Well said. Subsequent listens are so rewarding on this album. I notice new things every time. Oddities I never heard in the mix before or some random vocal sample that clearly isn't Vernon.
Very well said. I’ve tried to show this album to friends and they just can’t get into it and I can’t blame them. It’s an album that needs time, it can’t be done in one listen and that’s what makes it great. It takes on a new form once it clicks and then you’re hooked.
I cried my eyes out the first time I listened to that... had a buddy of mine say the instrumental parts towards the end of the songs represents his mom ascending to Heaven and man did that make it even hit harder... what a phenomenal album
@@high_tension_house I wouldn't necessarily say better (C&L gets more listens and hits on so many emotional levels). But I agree Illinois would be the better intro, it's his landmark album and probably his most ambitious. It's also a good mix of whimsical and depressing, instead of just depressing lol. I miss whimsical Sufjan 😔
Ohhh I’m really excited for this reaction! I kinda wish you started with For Emma, Forever Ago since to me that’s still Bon Iver’s best work but still hype nonetheless.
Gives the show authenticity, too many reaction channels have people faking reactions because it gets more views. When every reaction is a freak out, it's like inflation. This is believable, this is why I watch every ep
When I played Fleet Foxes - Crack Up - You are all that I need (opening track) for my mom the first time, she cuts in and is like "I think the record is skipping!"
The “vocoder” effect is actually a harmonized they custom built. It allows the performer to take the incoming sound and then bend that into multiple notes. They improvised Creeks and used the sax as the input.
This is one of my favorite albums, but it might be the worst one to introduce someone to Bon Iver. It is a very unique album with a lot of experimentation. I would be interested to see reactions on the first two albums as well as the live concert from NPR.
I really think people should consider the fact that Vermon's sound was completely different as in For Ema and Bon Iver Bon Iver, so coming to their latest (back in the day) album (which is this one), it was so challenging for lots of folks but i found it so refreshing to listen to (knowing the fact that he was struggle with his latest success with Bon Iver Bon iver).
A lot of people have a hard time getting into this album, but people always seem to "get it" at some point. Personally I honestly think it's the greatest album of all time
I 100% AGREE!!! The lyrics are hauntingly beautiful once you come to understand their true meaning!!! Bon Iver has something really special here that will inspire others for decades to come!! Easily a top 10 pick for me in best music projects EVER!
My ex gf sat with me and listened to this when I got the vinyl. Part way through 33 GOD, she says "his lyrics don't make sense." I smiled. Later on, part way through 8 (circle), she was feeling every word. Vernon's lyrics don't make linear sense, but he finds evocative phrasing and ways to string together images that, as a whole, somehow makes *emotional* sense. This record in particular is a rewarding re-listen to find those moments.
i agreeeeee. i find something new in every song, after every listen. idk what it is but the music and sound evoke crazy emotions for me. for sure one of my top 3 albums ever
It took me a few listens to get into it, too. I loved for Emma, forever ago and Bon Iver, Bon Iver and mainly listen to folky indie stuff, so this album was a huge shift for me. I saw Bon Iver live in 2019 and it was really awesome to experience them live in an open air setting. The whole vibe was different from any other concert I’ve been to before.
Hey you got any folky indie artists you can recommend I’m a huge Bon iver fan and I just want to discover songs similar or just songs that give off the same vibe
@@Hoodfav_dg have you checked out Justin’s other projects? Big Red Machine and Volcano Choir are my favourites. S. Carey (Bon Iver’s drummer) has released some amazing records, my favourite is probably Hundred Acres. Gordi is an Australian folktronica singer under the same label as Bon Iver, her albums Reservoir and Our Two Skins are gorgeous. Of course, there’s Sufjan Stevens, Elliott Smith and Phoebe Bridgers. Her debut album gives me For Emma vibes. I have found that many of the artists I like are signed to the same few labels, so whenever I feel like listening to something new, I check the label’s list of artists and pick someone random. Often times I find someone amazing through that process.
These videos are always such a calm, relaxing experience for me. After the loss of my father last year it's nice to see Connor and Kevin having a nice father/son bond over music. Reminds me of the old times I had with my Dad.
Really glad you guys uploaded this even though much of it Kevin didn't connect with. Also glad you made clear to him that this album purposely doesn't have relatable lyrics or easy access instrumental parts, so the disconnection is understandable. In the grand scheme of things, he liked more songs or more aspects of songs than I expected, because also for me it was tough to get into. Would love to hear you guys listen to For Emma, Forever Ago sometime in the future, or perhaps i,i or Bon Iver. Thanks for the video.
When your dad was talking about wanting to hear some of the more powerfully sung lyrics in Creeks, it's interestingly one of the songs that sound amazing live even if you wouldn't immediately think so b/c of the autotune/vocoder. The live recordings of his concert footage of Creeks consistently amazes me, you can hear the rawness of Justin's voice mixed with the more "artificiality" of the vocoder! Would definitely recommend listening to the NPR version!
When I first got into Bon Iver I was obsessed with his older works and found this album incredibly jarring. It wasn't until that 3rd full listen that this album really clicked. From that moment, this album has stayed on my top 10 favorite albums of all time.
29. Strafford APTS is one of my fav song ever. Delicate, lovely, vulnerable, it comes from the heart, from the guts and it pierced right through me. Beautiful, beautiful work.
This album for me is the musical embodiment of going through a deppressive episode. You start out fine (not great) with 22, and you slowly cycle down to your lowest point in Moon Water and then you make it through Moon Water and transition into 8 and it feels like a healing process is beginning. Then in the middle of 8 you sort of emerge reborn. You've learned and grown and you feel a sense of direction moving forward.
Bon Iver albums needs to be listened to chronologically. You just threw him right in the fire when there’s two albums that could have prepared him for this.
Yeah this album is def something that grows on you. I hated it on my first listen but its slowly creeping up to my top 10. Personally, it's one you gotta be in the mood for.
I know indie type records don't get as many views as the others but I really hope you keep doing them, I'd love to see the first 2 Bon Iver records! I'd also love to see Assume Form by James Blake, Plastic Beach by Gorillaz and Little Dark Age by MGMT.
My favourite live performance of all time. The way they re-contextualise the material within a live setup is fascinating. Not to mention the mixing is second to none.
I definitely didn't love this album the first time I heard it. But then I listened again, and again, and again, and soon I found myself crying to every song. It was very helpful for me to look up the meaning in his lyrics. His writing style is very similar to poetry, and you have to really break it down to understand. But he's speaking of things that everyone can relate to. Love, loss, faith, and life. This and I,I are my favorite albums of his
Also, I highly recommend just listening to the whole album either by the ocean or on a hike. Anywhere in nature really. Its a truly religious and spiritual experience
This record really, really shines on a live stage. Justin’s vocals mix much more organically with the messina/pitched vocals and you really get a feel for that raw/synthetic duality. The whole record is a HUGE anxiety release for me.. it’s really incredible how intimate these songs can be if you give them a chance. Thanks for reacting to this! Love the channel.
I'm suprised you started bon iver with this album! clearly their most experimental. I would've tought Emma Forever Ago would be a great start to bon iver. but fun fact this album is my favorite of their discography. hearing about your father not liking the autotune much, i think he would like their self titled album or emma forever ago. you clearly have to make him react to one of those!
Such an interesting arrangement of music. From lyrics to instruments. You really never get what you expect. This is coming from a first time listener. Gives me a pinegrove vibe. Would love to hear your guys' thoughts on 11:11 from Pinegrove.
I've FULLY become a Bon Iver lover. I mean, he is easily becoming my favorite artist of all time. Thanks to this video introducing me to Bon Iver. I am seriously listening to him on repeat. I cannot believe the INCREDIBLE music this man produces. Every song surprises me and makes me so genuinely so happy to listen to. Thank you!
even the first time i listened to this album it sounded like a memory. like music i’d heard before but couldn’t quite conjure up correctly in my mind. i love it
Only a few tracks into the vid but I had to come to the comments just to share how much I love this album and love 715 - Creeks. That song is one of those tracks that never fails to make me so emotional. That kind of feeling where you don’t quite cry but are just flooded with emotion you can feel welling up in your chest. The vocals, melody and vocal modulation are just so powerful. Also totally understand why Kevin isn’t vibing with this record so far. It was THE most inaccessible Bon Iver album for me, didn’t like it when it first came out. Took me a while to come around but now I truly love it.
It’s amazing to be apart of watching Kevin experiencing all these gems that have been hidden from him. He definitely definitely deserves to listen to the masterpiece that is, Burial’s Untrue. I have probably all ready mentioned it in the comments on other videos, but I feel like it would be a shame if he never gets to experience it. Plus the record is turning 15 this year, so it would be a great time to do it now too. The video was fantastic as usual, I haven’t actually heard 22, A Million front to back before, so I guess it was as big of an experience for me.
I feel the opposite, every song on this album and all Bon Iver music pulls me in immediately, but not in a hyped way, instead more into a state of trance. Now I’m curious how you would react to I,I. It’s a bit more heavy on vocals and more “structured”.
When I initially listened to this album I only really liked 33 god and Stanford apartments because I was coming in with for Emma expectations. It took a while but now I love every song. I think the mastery of this album is that you are able to feel such a connection to the beautiful music in absence of coherent lyrics that makes sense. It’s a testament to the production that bon iver doesn’t need lyrics that make sense in order to convey the feeling he is trying to communicate
Y'all Gotta listen to the new Dijon album. He is doing a lot in the way of how he mixes his tracks, and how he records them. He is also a bit of a disciple of Bon Iver's. The new album is called absolutely. There is also a live version of some of the tracks up on his youtube channel in the form of a short film, which I think may have been inspired by the Film called The Waltz which was directed by Martin Scorssesse and is a film display the last performance of The Band, who are another one of Dijon's influences.
This is sick. I would really love to see your dad get introduced to Perfume Genius. Both of their most recent albums, No Shape and Set My Heart On Fire Immediately are some of my favorites of the past decade
I remember listening to this album for the first time and being blown away, immediately fell in love. What's genius, in my opinion, is that the lyrics are not independent from the music. They make much more "emotional" sense when coupled with the music. It's abstract art at its best.
One of my all time favorite albums, but it is a strange one! This is making me hope they get into some Sufjan some day! I think it would be cool to see Illinois and Carrie & Lowell
Personal favorite album of mine, but it definitely makes more sense in the context of the rest of bon iver’s discography. To see him go from acoustic albums to this and to see Kanye’s influence throughout his musical arc is fascinating in itself. The poetry took me a bunch of listens to digest and find meaning in but the more you listen, the more it makes sense. Fun to see Kevin’s first reaction since I forgot that I wasn’t in love with the album on the first listen either!
I think Kevin would love Either/Or by Elliot Smith! Would love to see you guys take a look, classic 90s indie rock and a big inspiration of Phoebe Bridgers
This reminds me how i felt when i heard this album for the first time. I didn't quite 'get it'. If you haven't seen it already. I highly recommend watching Bon Iver's live concert on the NPR Music channel. It features live versions of a lot of the songs on this album. It made me absolutely fall in love with Bon Iver and really helped me appreciate this album and them as artists a whole lot more. It is one of my favorite videos and I still watch it pretty much every month.
In a world of instant, tailored gratification - or the promise that everything of value should give instantaneous and comforting pleasure - it's refreshing to encounter a piece of art that takes time and patience and a spirit of generosity to appreciate. It asks something of us with no promise of pleasure but it gives back to us if we can listen and wait.
I feel your dad would enjoy the NPR Live Bon Iver recording. Seeing the two drum kits and Justin Vernon conducting everything on the keys might make more sense to him
You guys should definitely check out For Emma, Forever Ago. Absolute masterpiece that brings in the “connection” as where this one lacks it. Great vid as always!
it's definitely not an easy album to be introduced to, but after some listens you start to enjoy every single of those weirdnesses. 8 (circle) is my personal favorite. Justin is fucking awesome, all his other bands are great as well (shouting matches, volcano choir, big red machine, deyarmond edison, his solo stuff)
i definitely agree with the comments that suggest it might have hit different if kevin had heard the first two albums first (and the blood bank ep!). a little context is really helpful to appreciate this album. starting with for emma, justin vernon created his organic, ethereal, iconic indie folk sound. then the blood bank ep came out, with the song blood bank, which is often the first bon iver song i show people new to him bc it's a rare one with "normal", non-cryptic lyrics (and it's so gorgeous!), and then woods, which at the time seemed like a beautiful and weird one-off experiment with autotune. this inspired kanye to reach out to him, and begin their collaborations on kanye's next several albums. just a year after mbdtf and the same year as watch the throne, bon iver, bon iver came out, and justin was pushing into whole new sonic territory, with rich instrumentation, ambitious experimentation, and bolder, bigger sounds. in interviews around this time, he talks about getting more artistic confidence from being around kanye, and that really comes through sonically on bon iver bon iver. then in 2013, kanye puts out yeezus with bon iver featured on several songs again. that album obviously created a seismic shift in so much of the music world, and particularly for many of kanye's collaborators, especially justin. the glitchy, uneasy, distorted, wildly weird sounds of that album were a powerful tool that justin had never harnessed in his own music. he became really interested in breaking down the barrier between the rich, natural beauty of the organic folk world and the dizzying, unhinged freedom he witnessed while being a part of kanye's studio sessions. i think that's why this album can feel inaccessible out of context. one part of what it's doing is taking the sound of one of the boldest, most cutting edge albums, yeezus, and going a step further, even more out there with it, into totally new territory. in the video, you guys touched on feeling the sense of freedom to do anything in this album, and i think that's a huge part of what's happening here. after 2 and a half albums with bon iver alone, let alone all the other projects he contributed to, justin KNOWS his voice sounds so beautiful raw and unmodified. but just as kanye used autotune as a way to express the cold alienation of his broken heart in our digital world on 808s, justin wanted the freedom to come undone, to sound fucked up, to sound not like himself, to work through heavy themes of failing to understand higher powers, losing faith, things ending, fragile mortality. there's also just so much new innovation happening here. the software-fueled digital harmonizing sounded so fresh and unique on this album that they called it a whole new instrument: the messina. even though justin's collaborator francis and the lights tweeted years later that it was just a simple but clever combination of presets from existing software, it still went on to be a sound specifically sought after by all kinds of other artists moving forward. what's crazy to me is not just using it on vocals, but on like.. everything... like the digitally harmonized saxes come to life in this supernatural way that i've never heard anyone else replicate so far. they sampled soul and gospel records, added in the yeezus style glitches, but they ran it all through analog tube amps and guitar pedals and old speakers, and made it sound like you were hearing these mystic messages through like a loose cable in a basement. justin combined his influences into something even more unique and new, adding on the wild maze of numbers and symbols to his tradition of already extremely cryptic lyrics that seem like they're more designed to sound nice to sing than to be delivering some kind of focused meaning like traditional songwriting. the album was worked on over 4 years and in most of the songs there are just layers on layers of gorgeous, often bizarre, sometimes heart wrenching details that endlessly reward repeat listens. if you get a chance, when the sun is getting low in the sky, go on a walk through the woods alone with headphones on and listen to this album all the way through. see what it does then. 🧡
I LOVE this album, it has the Bon Iver vocals that we all know and love but with a somehow a vastly different sound. I LOVE when artists experiment with cool new sounds and I think that this album is a perfect example of that. I still think that you should do an episode with some of justin vernon's other work. I think that for Emma or Bon Iver Bon Iver are able to be more easily digested on the first listen.
Would love to see Twin Fantasy get a listen, imo has everything your Dad gravitates towards in music with rich rock instrumentation, emotional gut punches and lyrical roller coaster, overall classic indie rock album
You gotta listen to this one uninterrupted. All the songs flow together and play off each other in a really unique way considering how every song is practically a different genre. Took a long time for me to get it though so I get it. Justin Vernon is a fucking genius
I love that your dad's reaction is every Bon Iver fans first reaction of the album. It's something that needs multiple re-listens to digest properly. Then you realise it's one of the best albums ever made. It took me 3 years of going back to the album before it "clicked" with me.
Like many say this album takes multiple listens to unpack but it is hands-down my favorite by Bon Iver. Rich, complex, meant to be listened as a whole.
I’ve been waiting for this reaction because this is my favourite album of all time. I think it’ll be interesting to see what Kevin says about the first two albums in comparison to this one. I love this album for the reason that the lyrics can be so applied to anything and connect with it in entirely different ways so it’s interesting to see someone be completely put off by not automatically connecting to the lyrics, it’s awesome! Keep it up guys!
This is one of those albums that once you get it, you really get it and it changes everything. It's a truly amazing piece of artistry and will go down in history as a game changer
This album made perfect sense to me because I came from yeezus to this; Vernons experience with Kanye dramatically effected the way he produced this project. I don’t recall Justin using samples and huge electronic sequences on anything prior. This album is so so raw with its sonics, how blown out they are but juxtaposed with the humongous orchestral horns, wobbly vocals, clean keys and guitars, deep drill bass synths. 33 God is a prime example of this. The Messina shines in this album
Hey Connor, so I don’t know if you’re an A$AP Rocky fan, but I would really like a LONG.LIVE.A$AP reaction. Love the video as always! You and Kevin have given me something that I will never have , a reaction to music with your father.
