I am about to commit an indie hate crime.
I, Jacob SwoleEar!, do not like Bon Iver. I do not like Bon Iver’s album For Emma, Forever Ago.
There, that’s out of the way. I’m sure that over the course of this project, I’ve said something that has alienated every single one of my potential readers. Whateva, I do what I want.
Anywho, Bon Iver.
So there’s been a lot of buildup for me in anticipation of this listening. I’ve known all about this particular record for a while now. I had heard all about the three months that Justin Vernon spent alone in a cabin in the woods while recording this or something. I also knew all about the hype that this record got, going from an obscure self-release to a label release within a few months. With all of that in my head before I pressed play, I guess I was expecting this album to completely blow me away.
Not only is For Emma underwhelming, it’s fairly obnoxious. Vernon almost always sings in a falsetto. Believe me, I don’t usually have a problem with high vocals in my music, but Vernon brings them to a whole new level of annoying. That’s not the only obnoxious thing about Vernon’s voice, either. Every now and then, he gives off a little screech or “whoop” after a lyric that I assume he must find pretty good. It’s like he’s trying to be Prince or something. Indie, whiney, white, sensitive Prince. Who wants to listen to that?
Apparently, a lot of people. This record won all kinds of awards and accolades from the indie community. Could someone please explain why? I just don’t get it. Boring boring boring.
Swole Ear 
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