Bon Iver

Add Date: June 21 

Artist: Bon Iver 

Album: Bon Iver 

Label: Jagjaguwar 

Genre: Folk, indie, R&B 

Comments: I have a couple of ways of starting this music review.

I could say that Bon Iver, the band founded in 2007 by indie folk singer/songwriter Justin Vernon, has again proven his mastery in the genre of hauntingly beautiful folk music found on his 2008 debut For Emma, Forever Ago and 2009 EP Blood Bank. Recorded and mixed in rural Wisconsin, Bon Iver paints a lush, heart-wrenching story with his achingly beautiful falsetto over songs that are named for places that are both real ("Calgary") and surreal ("Michicant").

I could also say that after taking a three-year hiatus from recording music, in which time Vernon thawed out from the winter of For Emma by focusing his energy into Kanye West's critically acclaimed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Bon Iver has been able to transition his music into a happier, albeit still somber, mindset. Pleasing from beginning to end, Bon Iver expands the listener's experience with an assortment of strings, woodwinds, electronic and treated sounds, and even a few bicycle bells.

Or I could go on to say that even with the odd combination of Bon Iver's folk with an '80s-inspired slow jam on the final song ("Beth/Rest"), the album possesses all the captivating, melodious, amazing tunes that you'd ever need for those lonely days and starless nights.

But instead, I'll just say this: Bon Iver's sophomore effort is just as good as, if not better than, For Emma, Forever Ago. This album is going to be one of the top albums of 2011, and it deserves to be.

If you're wondering what all the "hullabaloo over a little folk band" is about, I'd strongly recommend checking out "Michicant", "Calgary", "Minnesota, WI", and "Beth/Rest". And while you're at it, listen to the rest of the album.