For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver

Review written by rifi14

Released 17 years ago, Bon Iver’s debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, still holds its weight as one of the most influential indie albums of all time (to me).

The story behind the album comes through in its raw and truest form. In early 2007, Justin Vernon shacked up in his father’s remote cabin near Eau Claire, Wisconsin, later revealing that during this time he was going through illness amidst the end of a relationship and the recent breakup of his band. It shows. Through this album, he perfectly encapsulates the feeling of a hard Wisconsin winter. For Emma, Forever Ago is bleak, but it’s beautiful. Vernon captures the hopeless feeling of being stuck in an eternal January. This album feels like a childhood snow day, except you’re home alone and forbidden to leave the house.

The album starts with “Flume” my personal favorite. Until further exploring it for this piece, I had no idea what it meant. Vernon is good in that way; you can listen to a song hundreds of times without questioning it deeper because somehow, he just makes it make sense. “Flume” explores maternal themes, with lyrics such as “I am my mother’s only one, it’s enough.” Through my research, I learned that Vernon actually has two siblings. I get it, Justin. I, too like to believe I am my mother’s favorite child. Vernon sings, “Gluey feathers on the flume, sky is womb, and she’s the moon.” According to Genius, this is an Icarus reference. I never would have thought.

The third track is “Skinny Love,” which put Bon Iver on the map and continues to resonate with heartbroken indie teens nearly two decades later. Delicate guitar strumming paired with Vernon’s somber falsetto carefully captures the yearning within a crumbling relationship. He is projecting the relationship’s decay onto his partner, faulting her in saying essentially, “I told you this, I told you that, you didn’t listen.” He sings, “in the morning I’ll be with you, but it will be a different kind.” They haven’t broken up, but emotionally, it’s over.

The eponymous second-to-last song, “For Emma,” plays through a conversation at the end of the relationship. Vernon foregoes his typical metaphors and cryptic symbolism to create a straightforward narrative of two bickering lovers. This conversation is seemingly tired, one that would go better unsaid, as both characters already know how it will end. I understand it as a conversation that leaves you hopeless for any possibility of resolution. The repetitive guitar harmony is simple while the lyrics play out, though the graceful integration of trumpets and trombones adds further depth to the song’s layering.

The album ends with “Re: Stacks,” a peaceful song of Vernon’s realization, an acceptance that what he once had is gone. He has lost his metaphorical bets and has nothing left to offer. His tone is mellow as he is no longer fighting love’s end, but is now emotionally distanced from it. To me, this song feels like looking back on memories that don’t hurt anymore, but still leave you with a dull sadness. The lyrics of this song come back to the album’s wintry themes as Vernon sings of “twisting to the sun,” feeling lost in the cold darkness of loneliness. “All my love was down in a frozen ground” – his love is buried and he is trapped with the weight of his emotions. This song is a powerful last breath for the album as Vernon accepts his loss, but cannot yet move forward in his grieving.

Found on streaming playlists such as “Sleepytime Indie” and “#sadforever,” For Emma, Forever Ago is a delicate lullaby of devastation, one I fall asleep to often. The album is intimate and authentic, resonating with any listener experiencing loss and sorrow. Vernon is honest and vulnerable, he lets us experience the album as if we were right there in the cabin of its creation. His lyrics leave ample room for interpretation, though his delivery is sincere in that every word can be felt wholeheartedly. The production thrives in its simplicity with each song flowing perfectly into the next. Vernon creates a level of tranquility in this album, encapsulating raw emotion into a soothing sound of introspection and meditation. There is no peace quite like the one offered by For Emma, Forever Ago.