For Emma, Forever Agoby Bon Iver

This is a beautiful album both lyricaly and sonicly. It is subtle and withdrawn while also being raw and unashamed. It really is an album that has had just ins heart and soul poured into it. You can feel what he feels and that is something that gives power and beauty to his music and this album.

The song lump sum gives me chills. I first heard it while driving down the highway on a trip to Orlando and it blew my mind. This album is the perfect mix of lofi and high fidelity. This album is a great album to dream to as well.

The story of how this album came to be is something of a modern legend. Justin Vernon broke up with his band, broke up with his girl, and came down with mononucleosis. He decided he needed to reset and heal - both physically and emotionally. His chosen way of doing this was to hole up in a cabin in the Wisconsin woods a la "Walden".

While there, he gathered up his heart, his pain, his memories, and every last ounce of vulnerability he had inside him and poured it all into these songs.

They are minimalistic, crooning, bittersweet, aching, and beautiful.

My personal favorites are:

Flume - Just a beautiful song. I think he's talking about his mother being pregnant with him, but it's up for interpretation.

Skinny Love - Talks about a relationship with the kind of person who creates upheaval and leaves.

Re: Stacks - This song is one of my favorite songs of all time. It's soaked in regret. It's the moment you realize all the mistakes you've made, and you feel the full weight of the consequences. It's the nostalgia of everything that was and everything that could have been.

Born out of self-imposed isolation, the songwriting on "For Emma, Forever Ago" hints at the effort required to redirect artistic energies. Justin Vernon's opus journeys far into the backwoods, unearthing melodies and lyrics that offer comfort amid otherworldly, sometimes chilling, soundscapes.