Bon Iver
"22, A Million"
(Jagjaguwar (ASTERISK)(ASTERISK)(ASTERISK))
The long arm of the almighty Kanye West _ who has called Justin Vernon of Bon Iver "my favorite living artist" _ has reached down and shaped the experimental and occasionally inscrutable "22, A Million." Vernon's diaphanous falsetto _ the ultimate expression of indie-rock lonesomeness, first heard on 2007's "For Emma, Forever Ago" _ was paired with Yeezy's AutoTune-happy approach on 2010's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," and his angelic pipes also appeared on "I Am a God" on 2014's "Yeezus."
What we have with "22, A Million," then, is Vernon applying a similar, electronically altered cutup aesthetic to his formerly bucolic existential alienation. Out of the woods and into the noise.
On the face of it, numerologically and graphically puzzling songs like "22 (OVER SOON)" and "715 _ CREEKS" seem like the stuff of a radical makeover. And, to be sure, some fans will be put off by the strangeness after waiting five years since the 2011 Grammy-winning, self-titled album "Bon Iver." Plus, not everything works _ some songs don't cohere even after repeated listenings. But for the most part, once listeners get acclimated to the new distorted Bon Iver, they'll find the same sensitive Justin Vernon baring his soul beneath the clamor.
_Dan DeLuca
