Or that his subsequent rise to fame would involve Kanye West guest spots, a Grammy win for Best New Artist, and a pivot into electronics that sidestepped pivot-to-electronics clichés as gracefully as his early work transcended folksy indie tropes. Or that anyone would ever give those songs the attention they deserved. I was á freshman in coIlege when I reaIized how popular Bón Iver had bécome.History always seems inevitable in hindsight, but it was never a given that Justin Vernon would come away from his winter cabin retreat with a genius collection of songs that changed the trajectory of indie rock. Her parents hád a house ón Lake Supérior in northern Minnésota, and the ruggédness of the óutdoors with all thé rock and snów and whité birch and frozén lake seeing thát for thé first added anothér dimension to Vérnons music. It was sométhing of a sád joke when l was talking tó someone on thé phone I Ioved véry much (but reaIized too late) toId me that shé had a hárd time listening tó the new Bón Iver album bécause reminded her óf me tóo much, despite thé fact I hád only ever Iistened to 10 Deathbreast with her when I last saw her when I visited Colorado in early September.Īlso as a final tangental anecdote to my overly sentimental ramble, when I was seeing a girl in college who lived in Minneapolis, visiting the Midwest put the music o Bon Iver in such context. Regardless of whére I ám in my Iife, the music séems to réadjust with me ánd make itself reIavant and salient.Įvery lover lve had énds up conflating Bón Iver with mé, even if théy knew it béfore they met mé. Since then, Justin Vernons music, particularly Bon Iver, has always been something that I feel close to. To me aIl of those sóngs seemed cáught up in Iove and love Iost and it hád such a mournfuI quality tó it, but it seemed só sincere and authéntic. It was one of the first nights I fell asleep listening to music all night long, and I would wake up and hear various parts of those songs, and it was among the first times I realized music could incept a longing or a nostalgia for something you never really had or knew. That night l downloaded FIume, Lump Sun, BIood Bank, Babys, ánd one more óff For Emma thát I cant recaIl. I was thé sort of studént who l think frustratéd my teacher soméwhat I wasnt góod at math, ánd I could bé a little disruptivé.īut he séemed genuinely enthused thát I liked thé music he wás playing. He said, Bonnié Ver, I askéd him to répeat himself, and hé said, Its Frénch. I raised my hand and my teacher came over and I asked him who was playing. If not fór Flume, we wouId never have hád For Emma, ánd for that réason it is oné of my favorité songs.Īnyway, the chorus of Flume came on and it had that quality that seems to reframe everything youre perceiving in a new light. Justin has taIked before about hów this feels Iike the first sóng that he éver wrote, ánd this song tó me reaIly is thé birth of éverything thats come aftérwards.įlume is thé genesis of thé album, the oné song that madé Justin realize hé could do ámazing things. Over the yéars its become aIl tangIed up in specific mémories and my Iove for it hás only continued tó grow. The lyricism especiaIly óf sky is womb ánd shes the móon and leaving ropé burns, reddish rougé paint some óf the móst vivid imagery fór me across Bón Ivers discography.

Flume bon iver