Albums Of The Year: Number 3!

BON IVER
'For Emma, Forever Ago'

'Sublime' is a word used far too often. I'm completely guilty of this. And after hearing this album, I feel ashamed of myself for throwing this word around like that.

Being labelled a "break-up album" is normally a gimmick to give an album gravitas before it's even been heard. But in this case, it's true. Although when playing live Bon Iver is three blokes, it's really a man named Justin Vernon. This album came to be because, after a pretty devastating break-up, he holed himself away at a cabin in the woods and recorded this record alone. At points he had breakdowns as the album is only 9 tracks long, and he found himself not knowing if it was any good anymore. Eventually, he just turned it over to the record company and said "I'm done, put it out".

Normally, at this point, I'd talk about some tracks, mention some lyrics and put them into context. But this is not the record for that. I wouldn't do it justice. All I will say is, when 'The Wolves (Act I & II)' builds from a barely audible guitar strum to the crescendo of him singing repeatedly "what might have been lost"... well, spine-tingling doesn't come close. And 'Blindsided' is the best song I've ever heard about that moment you realise you've fallen in love.

This right here is someone's heart and soul poured into music. It's heartbreaking and beautiful.