Every year, there seems to be another "sleepy" classic. This is an album that you listen to for it's understated tone but you keep finding more you love about every time. After a few listens, it isn't just a record to fall asleep to: it's a record for all times and all moods. Last year offered Panda Bear's Person Pitch as a great sleepy album, and 2006 had Joanna Newsom's Ys. I think I already found this year's sleepy record.
Bon Iver's debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, is one of the few folk masterpieces in recent memory. It's staggering the number of directions he can go using mostly just an acoustic guitar and a falsetto (a high, wheezy voice that seems to remind everybody of TV On The Radio). The albums starts with the slow strum of "Flume" before moving to it's first gem - the softly driving pulse of "Lump Sum", which has one of those melodies you get completely lost in. It only gets better with the slightly bitter-sounding love song "Skinny Love". The stunning "The Wolves", which features a random drum cascade at it's climax, finds him repeating "what might have been lost", making it more somber every second.
Although nothing can match the beauty of those two tracks, the second half of the album stays consistent with new ideas. "Team" has a steady drum rhythm which ringing guitars and whistling weaves around. "For Emma" is as upbeat as the album gets, and the drums and horns give it a cheery, movie closing feel.
This album might seem like a go-to-bed album exclusively at first, but you won't be able to stop playing it. Between Bon Iver, Portishead, and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, the album of the year competition is already interesting.
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