For Emma, Forever Ago
A lone cabin. A lonely man. These are the two major flames that sparked Bon Iver’s debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago. After suffering from both a romantic breakup and a breakup from his previous band, DeYarmond Edison, Justin Vernon, singer-songwriter and front man of Bon Iver, picked up his things and retreated to his father’s isolated cabin in the woods amidst a wintery Wisconsin. In just three months of serenity and seclusion, Vernon wrote the lyrics and created the bulk of the music of For Emma, Forever Ago, the album that formed the roots for his new band, Bon Iver. The artist used minimal music equipment, only a few guitars as the main instrumentation, plus a microphone and a laptop to layer his vocals and make his voice imitate a large choir in a majority of the songs. After emerging from the cabin and returning to his home in Raleigh, North Carolina, Vernon next asked some of his friends to add instruments to the tracks, such as the trumpet and trombone. These musician friends later became the other members of Bon Iver. Then, without the help of any professional recording companies, Vernon self-released the album as the sole producer. The cliché “Less is More” could easily be used to classify For Emma, Forever Ago because the album can come off as simplistic at first glance. With a closer look however, one will find how the music is just the tip of the iceberg of Vernon’s message and there is a lot of meaning to be discovered under the surface.
The conditions under which Justin Vernon worked on this album eerily parallel the 1845 artistic experiment of American Romantic author, Henry David Thoreau, who moved to a small, serene Massachusetts home next to Walden Pond for two years and two months. The result of this experience was the creation of his book, Walden, about the benefits of “retir[ing] to a lonely spot” in nature “--even if only in imagination--to ponder the world and [your] place in it (Witherell). In regards to his decision to isolate himself, Thoreau said, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Thoreau 90).
By connecting with nature, many Romantics during Thoreau’s time period found their once objective reality of the world could disappear, permitting a renewed awareness of, or relationship to, society. These artists credit their ability to overcome a disconnect between “the self and the world” with their appreciation of nature and their ability to submerge in the essence of nature. (Riasanovsky 71). In the same way, Justin Vernon’s preoccupation with nature and decision to remove himself from society to create For Emma, Forever Ago could demonstrate his attempt to solve a disconnect he feels with society as well as his attempt to figure out his identity after experiencing failed love with both his band and girlfriend. With this album, Vernon is reviving fundamental ideas of Romanticism because “unable to find happiness in the world of man,” the Romanticist often took the time to reflect in only the presence of nature, which served as “an escape from man and reality” (Kravitt 99, 100). In an interview with the A.V. Club, Bon Iver’s singer-songwriter described his seclusion from the world as a form of meditation and reflection saying, “I don't think I really had any clue what was going on while I was there. I was just there” (Vernon).
In another track, “For Emma,” the human relationship with nature is reified as the concept of being able to find comfort or refuge in nature or the physical world emerges in the repetition of the line, “Running home.” Like Vernon, Romantics recognized nature as a valuable element of our world that can be a source of inspiration for finding purpose in life (Riasanovsky 70). In this track Bon Iver also reveals evidence of how nature's is an outlet that can break our close-minded, rigid perception of life to open our eyes to a new understanding of both ourselves and the world. In “For Emma,” the artist recognizes the emotional effect that the beauty of nature has on people. He gives a contrasting positive and negative view as he sings, “Saw death on a sunny snow.” Winter is the season that can achieve such a massive emotional response from people because of its gray, cold, dark, barren, dead, and dangerous qualities. Research has even proven that moods of depression, hostility, anxiety, anger and irritability are stronger in the winter months than any other time of the year (Harmatz 349). The singer himself experienced some of these negative feelings as a result of being stuck in what seems like a Winter Wonderland prison for three months. Yet by placing himself in this environment voluntarily, Vernon also witnessed a positive effect of this season by being able to discover himself and reposition his head back on his shoulders through meditating in nature.
The artist claims that society as a whole has been settling for a meaningless life rather than actively working to ask questions, contemplate, find purpose and really live. Evidence for the problem in this behavior is revealed in the track titled “Creature Fear” of the album where Vernon blatantly states, “So many foreign worlds//So relatively fucked.” This single phrase is a major turning point of the song. The melody of the song abruptly shifts from a calming, lullaby-like melody sung by one passive voice to big, busy, drum instrumentation with loud, overpowering, and haunting backup vocals. The musical switch happens so suddenly and unexpected that it mimics the sensation of a friend playing a practical joke by creeping up behind you unnoticed and screaming right in your ear in hopes of making you jump or waking you up. The contrast in music helps to emphasize a sense of urgency in Justin Vernon’s warning and advice to changing the way we view life.
At the end of “Lump Sum,” Bon Iver uncovers more positivity when he sings, “Balance we won’t know//We will see when it gets warm.” This lyric mentions the most hopeful part of the current state of society being trapped in a winter snowstorm: it is going to come to an end. In this very last line, Vernon’s voice no longer has the cavernous quality to it. His vocals have expanded to hold new weight with both depth and substance backed by a hasty guitar rhythm, showing the artist is ready to look ahead to what will come in the future with this driven attitude of life.
In the iTunes Bonus track, “Wisconsin,” Vernon associates nature with being spiritual, holy or a piece of God’s work, which could be a way to justify his action of turning to nature as a guide for life. Vernon begs, Oh God don't leave me here//I will freeze till the end,” in a whispering voice as if he is speaking under his breath. The notes of a single guitar are muffled like the instrument is underwater, creating echoing sounds that add to the solemn mood of the track. Early Romanticism was greatly affected by and grounded in pantheism, a belief that nature and God are one and the same. This ideology implies that nature is alive, which lends itself to Romantics turning to nature for understanding and direction in finding their role in society (Riasanovsky 72). Although Justin Vernon may not address nature and God as equivalent beings in these lyrics; he does refer to the harsh winter weather as an element that is in God’s control, making him inclined to investigate nature as a means by which to learn about the world and discover a pathway leading to self-realization.
For Emma, Forever Ago is a monumental piece of work. It not only is Bon Iver’s debut album, but it also laid the stones to create the band altogether. However, the music of this album is most significant in the way that Justin Vernon makes Romanticism relevant in contemporary society through his method for creating the songs as well as his argument. This Bon Iver album suggests that diving into nature as a form of meditation and reflection is effective to developing a distinct awareness of ourselves. By contemplating nature, we are able to connect with ourselves and focus on the course we want our life to follow, the role we desire to hold in the world and the ways in which we can live life to the fullest. Thus, the goal of this neo-Romantic view that Bon Iver presents does more than just promote a realization of our perspective of the world, it serves as a call to action for all of us.
Bibliography
Bon Iver. For Emma, Forever Ago. Jagjaguwar, 2008. CD.
Harmatz, Morton G., et al. "Seasonal Variation Of Depression And Other Moods." Journal Of
Biological Rhythms 15.4 (2000): 344.Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Kravitt, Edward F. "Romanticism Today." Musical Quarterly 76.1 (1992): 93. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Riasanovsky, Nicholas Valentine. The Emergence Of Romanticism. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1992. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
"Songs in the Dead of Winter." Perf. Justin Vernon. By Angela Kim. Weekend
America. Prod. Michael Raphael. Dir. Rob Byers. American Public Media.
St. Paul, Minnesota, 26 Jan. 2008. American Public Media. Web. 17 Nov.
2015.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1854. Print.
Vernon, Justin. "Justin Vernon of Bon Iver." Interview by Steven Hyden. A.V.
Club. Ed. Josh Modell. Onion, 21 Feb. 2008. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Witherell, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth Dubrulle. "Reflections on Walden." The
Writing of Henry D. Thoreau. Ed. Elizabeth Witherell. U of California,
1995. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.
Former Lives
Benjamin Gibbard, lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie, had been hoarding a collection of misfit songs for many years leading up to the release of his solo album Former Lives. In the time between when Gibbard began writing the songs and their actual release, Death Cab for Cutie released three separate studio albums. The artist said in an interview that Former Lives, truly spans "eight years, three relationships, living in two different places, drinking then not drinking" giving the album its unique yet scatter-brained quality. His past, that couldn’t be expressed within Death Cab’s established box of their brand, is able to be housed in this album and thus set free to be heard.
In “Something’s Rattling (Cowpoke)” Gibbard sings about living “in the valley” of Los Angeles, yet the mariachi band instruments mixed with the country rhythms do not scream anything remotely close to “L.A.” or “Cali.” He describes how the city is a beautiful place but something doesn’t feel right, which could connect with the style of music not fitting the types of sounds like indie, pop, and hip hop that one might normally associate with Los Angeles. His struggles with not being able to connect with society around him correlate with the alienation and self consciousness that Modernists felt from cultural shocks like the War and a boom in societal advancements. The song shows how easy it is to find ourselves feeling lost and empty in society, whether we experience major changes in our surroundings and culture or not. It suggests the way for us to go forth and stop ourselves from being stuck in this disconnected mindset is to critically examine our life values and behaviors in relation to what values the rest of society holds true and how our peers act.
“Bigger Than Love” sheds light on Modernism as well when Ben Gibbard reveals snapshots of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald’s relationship, rather than his own. Although the artist does not explictly mention the two individuals by name in the song, Gibbard revealed in an interview that he based the track on a book of love letters between the couple called Dear Scott, Dear Zelda. F. Scott Fitzgerald is also a writer of the Lost Generation like Ernest Hemingway who is known for his turbulent lifestyle apart from his famous novels. The song’s verses depict how destructive the Fitzgeralds’ marriage really was from struggling with alcoholism and mental illness to not being able to handle raising a child together. However, these lines contrast with the consistent upbeat tempo and a positive chorus that says, “It's bigger than love//Brighter than all the stars combined” gives hope that their broken love is not “beyond repair.”
This track is a duet, featuring Aimee Mann, which works nicely as it’s like the singers are F. Scott and Zelda telling their own story. Zelda's major presence in the song of her point-of-view shows a significant deviation for the submissive role she played in her marriage. It is said that Zelda contributed greatly to F. Scott Fitzgerald's brilliant writing, yet she never received much recognition nor was given the chance to publish more than one novel of her own. In contrast, Aimee Mann (in the voice Zelda) begins the song, and sings multiple verses by herself, almost overshadowing Benjamin Gibbard. This characteristic of the song reveals some of the faults in Modernist thinking. Although F. Scott Fitzgerald as a Modernist writer went against accepted beliefs in his writing, such as criticizing greed and money in the age of materialism, we can see through his novels and relationships that he did not challenge the ideology of women being dependent and less in society. Ben Gibbard, thus attempts to shed a new light on Modernism in terms of what Modernist artists neglected to discuss and challenge in their works.
The last three songs of the album all seem to be about some experience of Gibbard’s love life again, most likely surrounding his divorce to Zooey Deschanel. In “Broken Yolk in a Western Sky” Gibbard uses light, country twang instrumentals to give a dark confession about messing up and accepts all the fault and blame for the falling out of his relationship. “I’m Building a Fire” ends the album in full circle, as the song is very brief just like how the Former Lives started with “Shepherd’s Bush Lullaby" at under one minute. The concluding track illustrates a picture of what seems like a past relationship as Gibbard sings, “In the morning you'll wake with the ashes of a memory//And the sun on your face and I will not seem so far away.”
Through his direct allusions to the Seattle Smith Tower in “Teardrop Windows” and the Fitzgeralds in “Bigger Than Love”, a theme of Modernism is revealed that can be connected to the rest of the songs of the album. Gibbard transports us back to this time period and way of thinking, showing how some of the values and ideas that Modernists once promoted still are relevant in our society today while suggesting it is important for us to grow this way of thinking by investigating the topics on which Modernists neglected to change.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The First Days of Spring
For Emma, Forever Ago
A lone cabin. A lonely man. These are the two major flames that sparked Bon Iver’s debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago. After suffering from both a romantic breakup and a breakup from his previous band, DeYarmond Edison, Justin Vernon, singer-songwriter and front man of Bon Iver, picked up his things and retreated to his father’s isolated cabin in the woods amidst a wintery Wisconsin. In just three months of serenity and seclusion, Vernon wrote the lyrics and created the bulk of the music of For Emma, Forever Ago, the album that formed the roots for his new band, Bon Iver. The artist used minimal music equipment, only a few guitars as the main instrumentation, plus a microphone and a laptop to layer his vocals and make his voice imitate a large choir in a majority of the songs. After emerging from the cabin and returning to his home in Raleigh, North Carolina, Vernon next asked some of his friends to add instruments to the tracks, such as the trumpet and trombone. These musician friends later became the other members of Bon Iver. Then, without the help of any professional recording companies, Vernon self-released the album as the sole producer. The cliché “Less is More” could easily be used to classify For Emma, Forever Ago because the album can come off as simplistic at first glance. With a closer look however, one will find how the music is just the tip of the iceberg of Vernon’s message and there is a lot of meaning to be discovered under the surface.
In another track, “For Emma,” the human relationship with nature is reified as the concept of being able to find comfort or refuge in nature or the physical world emerges in the repetition of the line, “Running home.” Like Vernon, Romantics recognized nature as a valuable element of our world that can be a source of inspiration for finding purpose in life (Riasanovsky 70). In this track Bon Iver also reveals evidence of how nature's is an outlet that can break our close-minded, rigid perception of life to open our eyes to a new understanding of both ourselves and the world. In “For Emma,” the artist recognizes the emotional effect that the beauty of nature has on people. He gives a contrasting positive and negative view as he sings, “Saw death on a sunny snow.” Winter is the season that can achieve such a massive emotional response from people because of its gray, cold, dark, barren, dead, and dangerous qualities. Research has even proven that moods of depression, hostility, anxiety, anger and irritability are stronger in the winter months than any other time of the year (Harmatz 349). The singer himself experienced some of these negative feelings as a result of being stuck in what seems like a Winter Wonderland prison for three months. Yet by placing himself in this environment voluntarily, Vernon also witnessed a positive effect of this season by being able to discover himself and reposition his head back on his shoulders through meditating in nature.
At the end of “Lump Sum,” Bon Iver uncovers more positivity when he sings, “Balance we won’t know//We will see when it gets warm.” This lyric mentions the most hopeful part of the current state of society being trapped in a winter snowstorm: it is going to come to an end. In this very last line, Vernon’s voice no longer has the cavernous quality to it. His vocals have expanded to hold new weight with both depth and substance backed by a hasty guitar rhythm, showing the artist is ready to look ahead to what will come in the future with this driven attitude of life.
For Emma, Forever Ago is a monumental piece of work. It not only is Bon Iver’s debut album, but it also laid the stones to create the band altogether. However, the music of this album is most significant in the way that Justin Vernon makes Romanticism relevant in contemporary society through his method for creating the songs as well as his argument. This Bon Iver album suggests that diving into nature as a form of meditation and reflection is effective to developing a distinct awareness of ourselves. By contemplating nature, we are able to connect with ourselves and focus on the course we want our life to follow, the role we desire to hold in the world and the ways in which we can live life to the fullest. Thus, the goal of this neo-Romantic view that Bon Iver presents does more than just promote a realization of our perspective of the world, it serves as a call to action for all of us.
Bibliography
Bon Iver. For Emma, Forever Ago. Jagjaguwar, 2008. CD.
Harmatz, Morton G., et al. "Seasonal Variation Of Depression And Other Moods." Journal Of
Biological Rhythms 15.4 (2000): 344.Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Kravitt, Edward F. "Romanticism Today." Musical Quarterly 76.1 (1992): 93. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Riasanovsky, Nicholas Valentine. The Emergence Of Romanticism. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1992. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
"Songs in the Dead of Winter." Perf. Justin Vernon. By Angela Kim. Weekend
America. Prod. Michael Raphael. Dir. Rob Byers. American Public Media.
St. Paul, Minnesota, 26 Jan. 2008. American Public Media. Web. 17 Nov.
2015.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1854. Print.
Vernon, Justin. "Justin Vernon of Bon Iver." Interview by Steven Hyden. A.V.
Club. Ed. Josh Modell. Onion, 21 Feb. 2008. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Witherell, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth Dubrulle. "Reflections on Walden." The
Writing of Henry D. Thoreau. Ed. Elizabeth Witherell. U of California,
1995. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.
Former Lives
Benjamin Gibbard, lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie, had been hoarding a collection of misfit songs for many years leading up to the release of his solo album Former Lives. In the time between when Gibbard began writing the songs and their actual release, Death Cab for Cutie released three separate studio albums. The artist said in an interview that Former Lives, truly spans "eight years, three relationships, living in two different places, drinking then not drinking" giving the album its unique yet scatter-brained quality. His past, that couldn’t be expressed within Death Cab’s established box of their brand, is able to be housed in this album and thus set free to be heard.
In “Something’s Rattling (Cowpoke)” Gibbard sings about living “in the valley” of Los Angeles, yet the mariachi band instruments mixed with the country rhythms do not scream anything remotely close to “L.A.” or “Cali.” He describes how the city is a beautiful place but something doesn’t feel right, which could connect with the style of music not fitting the types of sounds like indie, pop, and hip hop that one might normally associate with Los Angeles. His struggles with not being able to connect with society around him correlate with the alienation and self consciousness that Modernists felt from cultural shocks like the War and a boom in societal advancements. The song shows how easy it is to find ourselves feeling lost and empty in society, whether we experience major changes in our surroundings and culture or not. It suggests the way for us to go forth and stop ourselves from being stuck in this disconnected mindset is to critically examine our life values and behaviors in relation to what values the rest of society holds true and how our peers act.
“Bigger Than Love” sheds light on Modernism as well when Ben Gibbard reveals snapshots of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald’s relationship, rather than his own. Although the artist does not explictly mention the two individuals by name in the song, Gibbard revealed in an interview that he based the track on a book of love letters between the couple called Dear Scott, Dear Zelda. F. Scott Fitzgerald is also a writer of the Lost Generation like Ernest Hemingway who is known for his turbulent lifestyle apart from his famous novels. The song’s verses depict how destructive the Fitzgeralds’ marriage really was from struggling with alcoholism and mental illness to not being able to handle raising a child together. However, these lines contrast with the consistent upbeat tempo and a positive chorus that says, “It's bigger than love//Brighter than all the stars combined” gives hope that their broken love is not “beyond repair.”
This track is a duet, featuring Aimee Mann, which works nicely as it’s like the singers are F. Scott and Zelda telling their own story. Zelda's major presence in the song of her point-of-view shows a significant deviation for the submissive role she played in her marriage. It is said that Zelda contributed greatly to F. Scott Fitzgerald's brilliant writing, yet she never received much recognition nor was given the chance to publish more than one novel of her own. In contrast, Aimee Mann (in the voice Zelda) begins the song, and sings multiple verses by herself, almost overshadowing Benjamin Gibbard. This characteristic of the song reveals some of the faults in Modernist thinking. Although F. Scott Fitzgerald as a Modernist writer went against accepted beliefs in his writing, such as criticizing greed and money in the age of materialism, we can see through his novels and relationships that he did not challenge the ideology of women being dependent and less in society. Ben Gibbard, thus attempts to shed a new light on Modernism in terms of what Modernist artists neglected to discuss and challenge in their works.
The last three songs of the album all seem to be about some experience of Gibbard’s love life again, most likely surrounding his divorce to Zooey Deschanel. In “Broken Yolk in a Western Sky” Gibbard uses light, country twang instrumentals to give a dark confession about messing up and accepts all the fault and blame for the falling out of his relationship. “I’m Building a Fire” ends the album in full circle, as the song is very brief just like how the Former Lives started with “Shepherd’s Bush Lullaby" at under one minute. The concluding track illustrates a picture of what seems like a past relationship as Gibbard sings, “In the morning you'll wake with the ashes of a memory//And the sun on your face and I will not seem so far away.”
Through his direct allusions to the Seattle Smith Tower in “Teardrop Windows” and the Fitzgeralds in “Bigger Than Love”, a theme of Modernism is revealed that can be connected to the rest of the songs of the album. Gibbard transports us back to this time period and way of thinking, showing how some of the values and ideas that Modernists once promoted still are relevant in our society today while suggesting it is important for us to grow this way of thinking by investigating the topics on which Modernists neglected to change.
For Emma, Forever Ago
A lone cabin. A lonely man. These are the two major flames that sparked Bon Iver’s debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago. After suffering from both a romantic breakup and a breakup from his previous band, DeYarmond Edison, Justin Vernon, singer-songwriter and front man of Bon Iver, picked up his things and retreated to his father’s isolated cabin in the woods amidst a wintery Wisconsin. In just three months of serenity and seclusion, Vernon wrote the lyrics and created the bulk of the music of For Emma, Forever Ago, the album that formed the roots for his new band, Bon Iver. The artist used minimal music equipment, only a few guitars as the main instrumentation, plus a microphone and a laptop to layer his vocals and make his voice imitate a large choir in a majority of the songs. After emerging from the cabin and returning to his home in Raleigh, North Carolina, Vernon next asked some of his friends to add instruments to the tracks, such as the trumpet and trombone. These musician friends later became the other members of Bon Iver. Then, without the help of any professional recording companies, Vernon self-released the album as the sole producer. The cliché “Less is More” could easily be used to classify For Emma, Forever Ago because the album can come off as simplistic at first glance. With a closer look however, one will find how the music is just the tip of the iceberg of Vernon’s message and there is a lot of meaning to be discovered under the surface.
In another track, “For Emma,” the human relationship with nature is reified as the concept of being able to find comfort or refuge in nature or the physical world emerges in the repetition of the line, “Running home.” Like Vernon, Romantics recognized nature as a valuable element of our world that can be a source of inspiration for finding purpose in life (Riasanovsky 70). In this track Bon Iver also reveals evidence of how nature's is an outlet that can break our close-minded, rigid perception of life to open our eyes to a new understanding of both ourselves and the world. In “For Emma,” the artist recognizes the emotional effect that the beauty of nature has on people. He gives a contrasting positive and negative view as he sings, “Saw death on a sunny snow.” Winter is the season that can achieve such a massive emotional response from people because of its gray, cold, dark, barren, dead, and dangerous qualities. Research has even proven that moods of depression, hostility, anxiety, anger and irritability are stronger in the winter months than any other time of the year (Harmatz 349). The singer himself experienced some of these negative feelings as a result of being stuck in what seems like a Winter Wonderland prison for three months. Yet by placing himself in this environment voluntarily, Vernon also witnessed a positive effect of this season by being able to discover himself and reposition his head back on his shoulders through meditating in nature.
At the end of “Lump Sum,” Bon Iver uncovers more positivity when he sings, “Balance we won’t know//We will see when it gets warm.” This lyric mentions the most hopeful part of the current state of society being trapped in a winter snowstorm: it is going to come to an end. In this very last line, Vernon’s voice no longer has the cavernous quality to it. His vocals have expanded to hold new weight with both depth and substance backed by a hasty guitar rhythm, showing the artist is ready to look ahead to what will come in the future with this driven attitude of life.
For Emma, Forever Ago is a monumental piece of work. It not only is Bon Iver’s debut album, but it also laid the stones to create the band altogether. However, the music of this album is most significant in the way that Justin Vernon makes Romanticism relevant in contemporary society through his method for creating the songs as well as his argument. This Bon Iver album suggests that diving into nature as a form of meditation and reflection is effective to developing a distinct awareness of ourselves. By contemplating nature, we are able to connect with ourselves and focus on the course we want our life to follow, the role we desire to hold in the world and the ways in which we can live life to the fullest. Thus, the goal of this neo-Romantic view that Bon Iver presents does more than just promote a realization of our perspective of the world, it serves as a call to action for all of us.
Bibliography
Bon Iver. For Emma, Forever Ago. Jagjaguwar, 2008. CD.
Harmatz, Morton G., et al. "Seasonal Variation Of Depression And Other Moods." Journal Of
Biological Rhythms 15.4 (2000): 344.Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Kravitt, Edward F. "Romanticism Today." Musical Quarterly 76.1 (1992): 93. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Riasanovsky, Nicholas Valentine. The Emergence Of Romanticism. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1992. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
"Songs in the Dead of Winter." Perf. Justin Vernon. By Angela Kim. Weekend
America. Prod. Michael Raphael. Dir. Rob Byers. American Public Media.
St. Paul, Minnesota, 26 Jan. 2008. American Public Media. Web. 17 Nov.
2015.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1854. Print.
Vernon, Justin. "Justin Vernon of Bon Iver." Interview by Steven Hyden. A.V.
Club. Ed. Josh Modell. Onion, 21 Feb. 2008. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Witherell, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth Dubrulle. "Reflections on Walden." The
Writing of Henry D. Thoreau. Ed. Elizabeth Witherell. U of California,
1995. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.
For Emma, Forever Ago
A lone cabin. A lonely man. These are the two major flames that sparked Bon Iver’s debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago. After suffering from both a romantic breakup and a breakup from his previous band, DeYarmond Edison, Justin Vernon, singer-songwriter and front man of Bon Iver, picked up his things and retreated to his father’s isolated cabin in the woods amidst a wintery Wisconsin. In just three months of serenity and seclusion, Vernon wrote the lyrics and created the bulk of the music of For Emma, Forever Ago, the album that formed the roots for his new band, Bon Iver. The artist used minimal music equipment, only a few guitars as the main instrumentation, plus a microphone and a laptop to layer his vocals and make his voice imitate a large choir in a majority of the songs. After emerging from the cabin and returning to his home in Raleigh, North Carolina, Vernon next asked some of his friends to add instruments to the tracks, such as the trumpet and trombone. These musician friends later became the other members of Bon Iver. Then, without the help of any professional recording companies, Vernon self-released the album as the sole producer. The cliché “Less is More” could easily be used to classify For Emma, Forever Ago because the album can come off as simplistic at first glance. With a closer look however, one will find how the music is just the tip of the iceberg of Vernon’s message and there is a lot of meaning to be discovered under the surface.
The conditions under which Justin Vernon worked on this album eerily parallel the 1845 artistic experiment of American Romantic author, Henry David Thoreau, who moved to a small, serene Massachusetts home next to Walden Pond for two years and two months. The result of this experience was the creation of his book, Walden, about the benefits of “retir[ing] to a lonely spot” in nature “--even if only in imagination--to ponder the world and [your] place in it (Witherell). In regards to his decision to isolate himself, Thoreau said, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Thoreau 90).
By connecting with nature, many Romantics during Thoreau’s time period found their once objective reality of the world could disappear, permitting a renewed awareness of, or relationship to, society. These artists credit their ability to overcome a disconnect between “the self and the world” with their appreciation of nature and their ability to submerge in the essence of nature. (Riasanovsky 71). In the same way, Justin Vernon’s preoccupation with nature and decision to remove himself from society to create For Emma, Forever Ago could demonstrate his attempt to solve a disconnect he feels with society as well as his attempt to figure out his identity after experiencing failed love with both his band and girlfriend. With this album, Vernon is reviving fundamental ideas of Romanticism because “unable to find happiness in the world of man,” the Romanticist often took the time to reflect in only the presence of nature, which served as “an escape from man and reality” (Kravitt 99, 100). In an interview with the A.V. Club, Bon Iver’s singer-songwriter described his seclusion from the world as a form of meditation and reflection saying, “I don't think I really had any clue what was going on while I was there. I was just there” (Vernon).
In the opening song of the album, Justin Vernon’s submersion into the secluded landscape of Wisconsin is immediately revealed as he paints a picture both lyrically and musically of a calming river. There is an even tempo of the guitar that remains consistent throughout the track, imitating the balanced, continual rhythm of flowing water. The title of this introductory song alone, “Flume,” signifies a deep, narrow stream of water, but specific lines like “I move in water shore, to shore” and “Lapping lakes like leery loons” also add to the imagery. Not only does the artist merely notice or observe these snapshots of nature that surrounds him however, Vernon also sings of a familiar connection between humans and nature with the repeated line, “Sky is womb and she’s the moon.”
In another track, “For Emma,” the human relationship with nature is reified as the concept of being able to find comfort or refuge in nature or the physical world emerges in the repetition of the line, “Running home.” Like Vernon, Romantics recognized nature as a valuable element of our world that can be a source of inspiration for finding purpose in life (Riasanovsky 70). In this track Bon Iver also reveals evidence of how nature's is an outlet that can break our close-minded, rigid perception of life to open our eyes to a new understanding of both ourselves and the world. In “For Emma,” the artist recognizes the emotional effect that the beauty of nature has on people. He gives a contrasting positive and negative view as he sings, “Saw death on a sunny snow.” Winter is the season that can achieve such a massive emotional response from people because of its gray, cold, dark, barren, dead, and dangerous qualities. Research has even proven that moods of depression, hostility, anxiety, anger and irritability are stronger in the winter months than any other time of the year (Harmatz 349). The singer himself experienced some of these negative feelings as a result of being stuck in what seems like a Winter Wonderland prison for three months. Yet by placing himself in this environment voluntarily, Vernon also witnessed a positive effect of this season by being able to discover himself and reposition his head back on his shoulders through meditating in nature.
The references to winter reoccur in the rest of the album, working to symbolize the way the artist was viewing the world and society at the time of creating the music. In an interview with Angela Kim of Weekend America, Vernon states that, “Just winter in general was kind of a part of where I was physically and metaphysically as well” “because about February every year is when it gets really hard;” “it's when people's hearts really start to give out” (“Songs in the Dead of Winter”). In “re: Stacks” Justin Vernon sings, “All my love was down in a frozen ground.” These lyrics demonstrate how our surroundings influence us as humans, and can imply that the weight of winter makes the artist want to quit searching for meaning in relationships and give up on seeking love and happiness in life. In the reverse however, this line of lyrics can also reflect how Vernon’s state of becoming out-of-touch with love has made life seem hopeless or worthless. Thus this perspective creates a cold, bleak, and unfulfilling outlook of the world for the artist in the same way people often view life during the winter. The winter motif could show how Vernon thinks he, and the rest of society, is stuck in some sort of rut of our approach to living and in need of a renewal or thawing of both mind and heart. Just as it is difficult for people to shake their depressive moods during the empty, dull, unimaginative, and static winter, Vernon argues that people have been struggling to enlighten themselves to their place in the world and approach life with bright eyes and an open mind.
The artist claims that society as a whole has been settling for a meaningless life rather than actively working to ask questions, contemplate, find purpose and really live. Evidence for the problem in this behavior is revealed in the track titled “Creature Fear” of the album where Vernon blatantly states, “So many foreign worlds//So relatively fucked.” This single phrase is a major turning point of the song. The melody of the song abruptly shifts from a calming, lullaby-like melody sung by one passive voice to big, busy, drum instrumentation with loud, overpowering, and haunting backup vocals. The musical switch happens so suddenly and unexpected that it mimics the sensation of a friend playing a practical joke by creeping up behind you unnoticed and screaming right in your ear in hopes of making you jump or waking you up. The contrast in music helps to emphasize a sense of urgency in Justin Vernon’s warning and advice to changing the way we view life.
With a less alarming tone, in “Lump Sum,” Vernon gives his personal testimony that further demonstrates the need for turning to nature in order to reflect and determine our intent and role in society. The artist describes how he feels that something is missing in his life and how nothing he does is ever enough, when he sings, “My mile could not//Pump the plumb.” This song is especially important because it demonstrates the inevitable moment when everything begins to fall apart in Vernon’s life due to being idle and allowing his disorientation, distraction, and disappointment to build up. The line, “All at once//Rushing from the sub-pump,” reintroduces the water symbol from “Flume.” In this track however, the water is no longer innocent, calm, and beautiful; it is overflowing, overarching and overwhelming. But then Vernon continues with the song to reveal positivity in his message when he advises, “Color the era//Film it, it’s historical.” “Color the era” relates to breaking out of the white, wintery environment in order to paint life how we want it and go out and experience the world for ourselves. With just three words, the phrase “Color the era” sums up Bon Iver’s argument and forms a perfect anthem for neo-Romanticism. The new view of the world that neo-Romantics like Justin Vernon advocate for is all about using nature to renew our imagination, knowledge, and understanding so that we may discover fulfillment and purpose in life, as well as better ourselves and society as a whole.
At the end of “Lump Sum,” Bon Iver uncovers more positivity when he sings, “Balance we won’t know//We will see when it gets warm.” This lyric mentions the most hopeful part of the current state of society being trapped in a winter snowstorm: it is going to come to an end. In this very last line, Vernon’s voice no longer has the cavernous quality to it. His vocals have expanded to hold new weight with both depth and substance backed by a hasty guitar rhythm, showing the artist is ready to look ahead to what will come in the future with this driven attitude of life.
There is more evidence of healing and hope in the track “Blindsided,” where the singer notices his “feet melt the snow.” Bon Iver’s focus on winter, seasons, and elements of nature in general, all transient and impermanent components of life, shows how our perspectives are also temporary. In other words, Justin Vernon argues that if we invest ourselves in using nature as a channel by which to ponder and reason, it is possible to remove ourselves from the funk of feeling like we do not have direction in life or a place in the world. Throughout the track there are intentional, fluctuating noises intertwined with the consistent bass drum and distinguished guitar, and these crackles, snaps, and inconsistencies weaving in and out of the sound also produce the sentiment that nothing, not our mood, habits, perception, identity, has to last forever. Through the neo-Romantic ideas in For Emma, Forever Ago, Bon Iver urges us to seek out nature and seclusion to reflect and reconsider our will and drive in the way we live life.
In the iTunes Bonus track, “Wisconsin,” Vernon associates nature with being spiritual, holy or a piece of God’s work, which could be a way to justify his action of turning to nature as a guide for life. Vernon begs, Oh God don't leave me here//I will freeze till the end,” in a whispering voice as if he is speaking under his breath. The notes of a single guitar are muffled like the instrument is underwater, creating echoing sounds that add to the solemn mood of the track. Early Romanticism was greatly affected by and grounded in pantheism, a belief that nature and God are one and the same. This ideology implies that nature is alive, which lends itself to Romantics turning to nature for understanding and direction in finding their role in society (Riasanovsky 72). Although Justin Vernon may not address nature and God as equivalent beings in these lyrics; he does refer to the harsh winter weather as an element that is in God’s control, making him inclined to investigate nature as a means by which to learn about the world and discover a pathway leading to self-realization.
The last two songs of the album are “Skinny Love” and “The Wolves (Act I and II).” I chose not to go into detail on “Skinny Love” because it is Bon Iver’s most popular song with its sweeping guitar melody and recognizable chorus, (in fact it is the only song of the entire album that has a concrete chorus.) “The Wolves (Act I and II)” on the other hand, does not receive enough credit in the industry for its beautiful, intricate sound. It is by far the busiest song of the album musically, with a large presence of percussion instruments and an overlapping of Vernon’s intense voice tracks. In addition, it has a section that features dramatic, thundering firework sounds that are too powerful not to be experienced first-hand.
For Emma, Forever Ago is a monumental piece of work. It not only is Bon Iver’s debut album, but it also laid the stones to create the band altogether. However, the music of this album is most significant in the way that Justin Vernon makes Romanticism relevant in contemporary society through his method for creating the songs as well as his argument. This Bon Iver album suggests that diving into nature as a form of meditation and reflection is effective to developing a distinct awareness of ourselves. By contemplating nature, we are able to connect with ourselves and focus on the course we want our life to follow, the role we desire to hold in the world and the ways in which we can live life to the fullest. Thus, the goal of this neo-Romantic view that Bon Iver presents does more than just promote a realization of our perspective of the world, it serves as a call to action for all of us.
Bibliography
Bon Iver. For Emma, Forever Ago. Jagjaguwar, 2008. CD.
Harmatz, Morton G., et al. "Seasonal Variation Of Depression And Other Moods." Journal Of
Biological Rhythms 15.4 (2000): 344.Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Biological Rhythms 15.4 (2000): 344.Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Kravitt, Edward F. "Romanticism Today." Musical Quarterly 76.1 (1992): 93. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
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Riasanovsky, Nicholas Valentine. The Emergence Of Romanticism. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1992. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
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"Songs in the Dead of Winter." Perf. Justin Vernon. By Angela Kim. Weekend
America. Prod. Michael Raphael. Dir. Rob Byers. American Public Media.
St. Paul, Minnesota, 26 Jan. 2008. American Public Media. Web. 17 Nov.
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America. Prod. Michael Raphael. Dir. Rob Byers. American Public Media.
St. Paul, Minnesota, 26 Jan. 2008. American Public Media. Web. 17 Nov.
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Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1854. Print.
Vernon, Justin. "Justin Vernon of Bon Iver." Interview by Steven Hyden. A.V.
Club. Ed. Josh Modell. Onion, 21 Feb. 2008. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Club. Ed. Josh Modell. Onion, 21 Feb. 2008. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Witherell, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth Dubrulle. "Reflections on Walden." The
Writing of Henry D. Thoreau. Ed. Elizabeth Witherell. U of California,
1995. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.
Writing of Henry D. Thoreau. Ed. Elizabeth Witherell. U of California,
1995. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.
Former Lives
Benjamin Gibbard, lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie, had been hoarding a collection of misfit songs for many years leading up to the release of his solo album Former Lives. In the time between when Gibbard began writing the songs and their actual release, Death Cab for Cutie released three separate studio albums. The artist said in an interview that Former Lives, truly spans "eight years, three relationships, living in two different places, drinking then not drinking" giving the album its unique yet scatter-brained quality. His past, that couldn’t be expressed within Death Cab’s established box of their brand, is able to be housed in this album and thus set free to be heard.
Elements of this 2012 album allude to the Modernism despite being created in a different time period. Modernism is a philosophical movement that arose in the late 19th and early 20th century from the great changes that were occurring in Western society. A characteristic of modernist thinking is their rejection of traditional ways of viewing the world as well as of established forms of faith, art, literature, social activities, innovation, and thinking. Ben Gibbard attempts to revive this approach of swimming against the current of the rest of society in order to remove ourselves from the belief that we have to alter ourselves to fit into the mold that our culture promotes. At the same time, the singer also touches on the areas in which Modernists labeled wrong to reveal what these thinkers were missing and lacking in their perception of the world.
The album opens with a fifty second a cappella introduction, “Shepherd’s Bush Lullaby” that Ben Gibbard made on his phone as he was walking through the neighborhood in London one day. It has a breathy barbershop quartet quality to it making me imagine a total of four Ben Gibbards standing before me. By eliminating all of the music and instrumentals in this piece, Gibbard’s stripped down song is reminiscent of Ernest Hemingway’s plain, blunt writing style. Hemingway was a writer of the Lost Generation, an ideology of disillusionment that merged with Modernism. He turned away from any ornamental language in his works as a way of trying to find meaning amidst chaos of a new society. In this track Gibbard sings about how the person he loves is “an ocean away” back in the U.S. but he hopes that she knows he is constantly thinking of her. My one complaint is that the song really is over before you have a chance to think to really enjoy it. The topics of love and London make another appearance in the album in “Duncan, Where Have You Gone?” a piece about an old friend Gibbard hasn’t seen in a while who lives in London now. In this moody, piano-heavy song, Gibbard speaks to Duncan, assuring him “there's someone for you to love//Whom you will find in due time.” His friend running off to London could be related to how many of the writers and artists of the Lost Generation and modernist movement, including Ernest Hemingway, were expatriates who left the United States after World War I to settle in Europe.
Overall a disappointment in the music or instrumentals unfortunately threads throughout most of the album. Both of the acoustic guitar introductions to “Lady Adelaide” and “Lily” share an uncanny resemblance to the melody in “I Will Follow You into the Dark” off Death Cab’s 2005 album, Plans. Despite my undying love and appreciation for the band’s simple classic, Gibbard’s recycling of music left me feeling rather unimpressed. In “Lily” Gibbard coos about how he wants to tell this girl how much he loves her. The singer says, “‘Cause whenever she is there with me//I know where I'm supposed to be,” which could demonstrate the extent of value that humans place on love. Love, along with many other fundamental values, was considered insignificant or unable by Modernists in terms of giving them a sense of purpose in life in the 19th and 20th century. Yet, Gibbard is promoting love as a vital part of life that is more important than what Modernists wrote it off to be.
In “Teardrop Windows” Gibbard pays tribute to the Seattle Smith Tower, sympathizing with the building like a dear friend about how it has been left in the dust since the Space Needle was built taller and brighter. This track begins like a big rock song with heavy bass guitar chords, but peaks from there to become more of a slow jam or a smooth rock song with little hints of folk influence sprinkled on top. Gibbard is from Washington and lived in Seattle for several years before moving to Los Angeles once he married Zooey Deschanel. The year "Former Lives" came out; however, the dynamic pair divorced after just three years. Perhaps the artist feels like a part of himself was forgotten in Seattle during the move to a more glamorous city just as the once beloved tower is now neglected standing in the shadow of the Needle. Modernism resulted partly in response to the industrialization and urbanization that was up and coming in Western society. Therefore, skyscrapers like the Seattle Smith Tower represent the growth of cities that fueled this type of new thinking. In addition, the tower was built in 1914 at the beginning of War I, an event that is considered a spark for Modernism as well. However, although Gibbard explicitly sings about the building, it is possible he is also singing about a person who is feeling “all alone” and “oh so empty.”
In “Something’s Rattling (Cowpoke)” Gibbard sings about living “in the valley” of Los Angeles, yet the mariachi band instruments mixed with the country rhythms do not scream anything remotely close to “L.A.” or “Cali.” He describes how the city is a beautiful place but something doesn’t feel right, which could connect with the style of music not fitting the types of sounds like indie, pop, and hip hop that one might normally associate with Los Angeles. His struggles with not being able to connect with society around him correlate with the alienation and self consciousness that Modernists felt from cultural shocks like the War and a boom in societal advancements. The song shows how easy it is to find ourselves feeling lost and empty in society, whether we experience major changes in our surroundings and culture or not. It suggests the way for us to go forth and stop ourselves from being stuck in this disconnected mindset is to critically examine our life values and behaviors in relation to what values the rest of society holds true and how our peers act.
In “Something’s Rattling (Cowpoke)” Gibbard sings about living “in the valley” of Los Angeles, yet the mariachi band instruments mixed with the country rhythms do not scream anything remotely close to “L.A.” or “Cali.” He describes how the city is a beautiful place but something doesn’t feel right, which could connect with the style of music not fitting the types of sounds like indie, pop, and hip hop that one might normally associate with Los Angeles. His struggles with not being able to connect with society around him correlate with the alienation and self consciousness that Modernists felt from cultural shocks like the War and a boom in societal advancements. The song shows how easy it is to find ourselves feeling lost and empty in society, whether we experience major changes in our surroundings and culture or not. It suggests the way for us to go forth and stop ourselves from being stuck in this disconnected mindset is to critically examine our life values and behaviors in relation to what values the rest of society holds true and how our peers act.
“Bigger Than Love” sheds light on Modernism as well when Ben Gibbard reveals snapshots of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald’s relationship, rather than his own. Although the artist does not explictly mention the two individuals by name in the song, Gibbard revealed in an interview that he based the track on a book of love letters between the couple called Dear Scott, Dear Zelda. F. Scott Fitzgerald is also a writer of the Lost Generation like Ernest Hemingway who is known for his turbulent lifestyle apart from his famous novels. The song’s verses depict how destructive the Fitzgeralds’ marriage really was from struggling with alcoholism and mental illness to not being able to handle raising a child together. However, these lines contrast with the consistent upbeat tempo and a positive chorus that says, “It's bigger than love//Brighter than all the stars combined” gives hope that their broken love is not “beyond repair.”
This track is a duet, featuring Aimee Mann, which works nicely as it’s like the singers are F. Scott and Zelda telling their own story. Zelda's major presence in the song of her point-of-view shows a significant deviation for the submissive role she played in her marriage. It is said that Zelda contributed greatly to F. Scott Fitzgerald's brilliant writing, yet she never received much recognition nor was given the chance to publish more than one novel of her own. In contrast, Aimee Mann (in the voice Zelda) begins the song, and sings multiple verses by herself, almost overshadowing Benjamin Gibbard. This characteristic of the song reveals some of the faults in Modernist thinking. Although F. Scott Fitzgerald as a Modernist writer went against accepted beliefs in his writing, such as criticizing greed and money in the age of materialism, we can see through his novels and relationships that he did not challenge the ideology of women being dependent and less in society. Ben Gibbard, thus attempts to shed a new light on Modernism in terms of what Modernist artists neglected to discuss and challenge in their works.
This track is a duet, featuring Aimee Mann, which works nicely as it’s like the singers are F. Scott and Zelda telling their own story. Zelda's major presence in the song of her point-of-view shows a significant deviation for the submissive role she played in her marriage. It is said that Zelda contributed greatly to F. Scott Fitzgerald's brilliant writing, yet she never received much recognition nor was given the chance to publish more than one novel of her own. In contrast, Aimee Mann (in the voice Zelda) begins the song, and sings multiple verses by herself, almost overshadowing Benjamin Gibbard. This characteristic of the song reveals some of the faults in Modernist thinking. Although F. Scott Fitzgerald as a Modernist writer went against accepted beliefs in his writing, such as criticizing greed and money in the age of materialism, we can see through his novels and relationships that he did not challenge the ideology of women being dependent and less in society. Ben Gibbard, thus attempts to shed a new light on Modernism in terms of what Modernist artists neglected to discuss and challenge in their works.
The last three songs of the album all seem to be about some experience of Gibbard’s love life again, most likely surrounding his divorce to Zooey Deschanel. In “Broken Yolk in a Western Sky” Gibbard uses light, country twang instrumentals to give a dark confession about messing up and accepts all the fault and blame for the falling out of his relationship. “I’m Building a Fire” ends the album in full circle, as the song is very brief just like how the Former Lives started with “Shepherd’s Bush Lullaby" at under one minute. The concluding track illustrates a picture of what seems like a past relationship as Gibbard sings, “In the morning you'll wake with the ashes of a memory//And the sun on your face and I will not seem so far away.”
Through his direct allusions to the Seattle Smith Tower in “Teardrop Windows” and the Fitzgeralds in “Bigger Than Love”, a theme of Modernism is revealed that can be connected to the rest of the songs of the album. Gibbard transports us back to this time period and way of thinking, showing how some of the values and ideas that Modernists once promoted still are relevant in our society today while suggesting it is important for us to grow this way of thinking by investigating the topics on which Modernists neglected to change.
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The First Days of Spring
I consider Noah & The Whale my
hidden gem. Our intimacy reached the point where I became jealous and overprotective
if I hear someone talking about the band, despite their popularity. However, as
much as it kills me, I admit I hadn’t listened to every song from The First Days of Spring when first deciding
to review the album. I tend to be a track listener, discovering music song by song
and neglecting the larger work. Already this process has opened my eyes to the
cohesive, flowing storyline that songs purposely paired together on an album
can form.
The First Days of Spring especially forms a storyline, which
listeners can see play out in a 45-minute film also titled, The First Days of Spring. Lead singer, Charlie
Fink created a narrative of stills and video while using only the album as
sound, enhancing the audience’s overall emotional understanding. There’s much
to be said about the beautiful effect of songs meshing with a visual plot;
however, I must focus on the music to stick to my blog’s purpose. If you do wish
to check out the film, I posted a link at the bottom of this page. Whether or
not you enjoy the album, everyone should appreciate Fink for deviating from the
typical process of a musician and applaud his success as a storyteller.
Even without watching the movie,
the album’s lyrics unmask the end of a relationship. That relationship belongs
to Charlie Fink and his ex-girlfriend Laura Marling, a singer-songwriter and
previous band member of Noah & the Whale. The opening track, named “The
First Days of Spring,” had me expecting a light, upbeat mood coinciding with my
yearly reaction to emerging from the cold, barren, and merciless winter onto a
vibrant world. After listening, I find Fink does refer to spring in the context
of new beginnings: “my life is starting over again.” However, fresh starts don’t
necessarily mean better ones. A simple duo of guitar and violin allows
listeners to zero in on the lyrics as he continues: “For I’m still here hoping,
that one day you may come back.” This first song accomplishes its job of introducing
the heartbreak up front. Still, all hope is not lost because as nature grows so
does Fink with a goal of returning to the person his girl “used to love.”
Upon listening to “Our Window,” I
feel betrayed and deceived. The first track was just a false fantasy, meant to
ease listeners into the real state of this broken relationship. Fink’s voice in
“Our Window” shifts into desperation and solemnity mixed with eerie, gentle
piano keys and a heavy bass guitar. Spring has become “cruel,” and the couple knows
they can’t go on anymore. The next two songs demonstrate post-breakup stages.
“I Have Nothing” begins with the plink of rain drops and a swaying melody, sending
me to a melancholy setting with a bench swing, a back porch, and a stormy
night. The depressing lyrics arrive with a numb Charlie Fink, whining that he
has and loves nothing and no one anymore. Then, “My Broken Heart,” makes an
abrupt flip to the acceptance stage. A song that toes the line between folk, smooth
jazz, and rock with its mashup of instruments, Fink sings, “there’s nothing you
can do// I’m impenetrable to pain.”
This album interests me with its
rigid structure, separated into two mirroring sections. The ordering starts
with four songs, followed by “Instrumental I,” “Love Of An Orchestra” as a
climax, then “Instrumental II,” and another four songs as the second bookend. “Love
Of An Orchestra” begins with a belting church choir, making me think Spotify
had randomly switched albums all of the sudden. The backup vocals continue
through the song and are met with upbeat strings, making Charlie Fink’s voice unrecognizable.
Personally I don’t understand why the band included a song that urges me to
stand up and do a goofy jig while its message remains somber with, “if you gotta
run, run from hope.” Perhaps “Love Of An Orchestra” illustrates the wonderful
moment when you decide to throw the towel in, let go of all your cares or
worries about love, and rock out to some gospel music.
The album’s second half is
downhill from there. Actually in terms of quality, I would say that the second
half is uphill from “Love Of An Orchestra” because Fink returns to his easy,
relaxed sound that is less of a production and more of a therapy. However, regarding
the artist’s projected feelings and mood, Fink settles down from his weird,
overexcited breakdown of built-up frustration to become miserable and
reflective once more.
Here’s a quick
breakdown:
“Instrumental II:”
A camera zooms out of the busy church scene (Love Of An Orchestra) as the ringing
of bells and chimes evaporate. We are transported to watching Charlie Fink all
alone again.
“Stranger:” Heavy
beats filled with Fink’s regret of sleeping with someone else to move on.
“Blue Skies:”
Fink admits his love for Marling hasn’t faded, but a crescendo of welcoming
drums, a perky piano, and soft guitars have him predicting someday maybe it
will.
“Slow Glass:”
Fink states he was the victim in the breakup as Marling left him “stabbed and
bleeding.”
“My Door is
Always Open:” Fink essentially saying, “Thank
goodness it’s all over, but hey, no hard feelings Laura. I’m just going to get
back to chilling and strumming my guitar again.”
For those who cannot sit long
enough to read an entire review, I’ll help you out: this album has a consistent
cloudy day mood minus the sporadic Hallelujah! moment in the middle. If you’re looking
for a breakup album to dry your tears with a sugarcoated forecast of what’s to
come, search elsewhere. Charlie Fink’s music doesn’t overflow with pain to the
point where you pity him. It invites you into an honest journal of loss and
remorse and lets you know it’s okay to wallow in your sorrow before picking
yourself back up.
The First Days of Spring - A Film By Noah And The Whale from charlie fink on Vimeo.
https://vimeo.com/7799870
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