Bon Iver
by Bon Iver
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 348 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 309 out of 348
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 348
  3. Negative: 12 out of 348
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  1. Wanesta
    Jan 9, 2022
    9
    Take everything that was so deeply charming about Bon Iver's debut, but add a bigger budget, a bigger band, and bigger ambition. The result? You get this album, a grandiose effort that brings, again, a lot of love to unpack into lonely souls. What is so good about this self-titled project is that everything great about For Emma, Forever Ago gets amplified, and it's an amazing thing to achieve.
  2. All_ButTrU4
    Dec 6, 2021
    8
    Akin to For Emma, Bon Iver breaks the listener's heart. And to experience an album (an oft-dreaded sophomore album, no less) that evokes such deep emotion is a welcomed pain.
  3. Tbone413
    Sep 25, 2021
    10
    One of the best albums ever. A spiritual, stirring, magical and gorgeous journey the whole way through.
  4. fifi3
    Jan 21, 2020
    8
    Bon Iver's self entitled project is an intimate and endearing project. The instrumentals are gorgeously layered and nuanced. Justin Vernon's falsetto is the stuff of legend. It's complete and cohesive. An album that's combination of musicality and heart-piercing soul equates to a relatively clear and timeless classic.
  5. Jes1310
    Aug 27, 2019
    9
    Follow up on Justin Vernons amazing debut. Bon Iver continues to deliver beautiful songs. In many ways a more complex album than the debut and maybe not an instant classic (like the debut) but listen to it a few times and this fully delivers.
  6. C_dot
    May 22, 2019
    9
    Justin Vernon continues to amaze as Bon Iver's frontman. Vernon's song writing remains impeccable while maintaining the gorgeous, intimate Bon Iver sound. Throughout the album, you can feel Vernon slowly painting a masterpiece in your mind as the album progresses.
  7. JeanDracolosse
    Jul 29, 2017
    10
    Beauty. This is the world that summarize this album the best. The lyrics are as well written and intimate as FE,FA, the main difference with it is the instrumentation. BI feels like a big album, with its grandiose tracks (Perth, Calgary) and its intimate ones (Wash, Beth/Rest). The flow of the album is very good, and its short length make it easy to listen.
  8. greekmatthew
    Apr 12, 2017
    10
    This is hand's down Bon Iver's best work. Every song is set on a personal level that speaks directly to the heart. Justin Vernon's words are unique, captivating, and symbolic.
  9. tino_bandito
    Jan 23, 2017
    9
    Absolutely love Bon Iver's unconventional folk / alternative style and this album really shows his character and the type of subtle, ambient music that he's clearly an expert at creating. It's funny to think that this type of music was loved by even artists like Kanye, enough to include Bon Iver in Kanye's music.
  10. longjetty7
    Nov 9, 2016
    8
    This is my favorite Bon Iver album. It's uplifting, tear-jerking, and emotional. A perfect album to play when you're feeling down or need a pick-me-up. Songs like Perth, Holocene, and Beth/Rest are fantastic and sublime, and most of the other songs are good as well. There are some slower songs that don't quite live up to the best moments of the album, but overall, this is a pretty strongThis is my favorite Bon Iver album. It's uplifting, tear-jerking, and emotional. A perfect album to play when you're feeling down or need a pick-me-up. Songs like Perth, Holocene, and Beth/Rest are fantastic and sublime, and most of the other songs are good as well. There are some slower songs that don't quite live up to the best moments of the album, but overall, this is a pretty strong album that is easy to get lost in.… Expand
  11. exodus9237
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    I am late here. I clearly remember the days leading up to the release of this album, five years on. The sound of For Emma, Forever Ago was still haunting me in a way. Every song, every line, every note, Bon Iver's debut opened my mind in a way no other album has. It really grows on you.

    But I'm not going to talk about that one now. This is about Bon Iver, the long-awaited (for me, for    I am late here. I clearly remember the days leading up to the release of this album, five years on. The sound of For Emma, Forever Ago was still haunting me in a way. Every song, every line, every note, Bon Iver's debut opened my mind in a way no other album has. It really grows on you.

    But I'm not going to talk about that one now. This is about Bon Iver, the long-awaited (for me, for me) second album of Justin Vernon's project. I remember a friend telling me: "Have you heard Bon Iver's new album, it has great drums". It was a simple conversation, the album HAS great drums, and singing, and songwriting, and keyboards, and pianos, and guitars, and basses.....sorry I let myself go there. But that's what it is, great, in every sense of the word. It is a whole damn trip. A trip full of emotion, and that sounds common, but it is, it makes you feel, the perfect arrangements, the haunting melodies and Justin's voice, that in a way does not change much from the previous album, but here it sounds free, instead of painful.

    What else should I say? Is difficult to explain the way my brain reacts when I hear Towers first chords, and then it changes, the same with Holocene or Calgary or Wash, even Hinnom is not my usual kind of song with its ethereal voice and quirky choruses, but I love it. And let's talk about Beth/Rest: in the worst opinions you can read comparisons with Enya, and this song, which is the one that most resembles the once-famous singer, it is worlds apart from that because it is a pop song, but not with that focus in changing and growing, but with its idea focused in making you feel, whatever you want, think whatever you want and that's it, that's how the album finishes. Talking about a great conclusion.

    Come on, did you think I am finished? Ok, just something more. Even the freaking cover is great. Ok, that is subjective, and I know, this is my opinion, obviously the music is also subjective, but if you have respect for songwriting and music made in a unique way, just give it a listen. Yeah, five years later, whatever. (Maybe you'll realize you have lost five years of pure enjoyment, ok I'm just kidding) (But think about it). (Seriously).

    (Did I mentioned that Bon Iver is a freaking nine piece?) Ok, now I'm finished.    … Expand
  12. Sani
    Jan 11, 2016
    9
    This is such an important album to me. Lyrically, complex yet deeply personal. Justin struck gold. "Holocene" is the bands best. Fantastic balance of sound and so well strung together.
  13. stephenkipp4
    Sep 22, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It is extremely difficult to locate the direction in which Justin Vernon went in completing "Bon Iver". "For Emma, Forever Ago" was a brilliant album full of intimate lyrics with a very autobiographical approach and it is undoubtedly one of the greatest releases of the 21st century. However, even upon first listen to the epic opener, "Perth", it is clear that the album appears more mature in its own right; the music has a more consistent flow and the instrumentation appears to be increased in variety. It can be argued that there is not that intimacy that one may find on "For Emma...", but it is difficult to ignore the earnest voice and lyrics of Justin Vernon. This is perfectly depicted in "Holocene", as Vernon's smooth and virtually faultless falsetto break cleanly into a clean and meditative acoustic guitar tune; his hauntingly beautiful words are a beautiful tribute to the Bon Iver that made "For Emma..." so spectacularly brilliant, yet carry a distinct tone of abandonment and yearning for love. "Towers" continues the joyride with an upbeat musical riff complimented beautifully by a saxophone and pedal slide in the background courtesy of Colin Stetson and Greg Leisz; it is almost too short of a song to truly grasp what Vernon is attempting to write, but provides a seamless interlude to "Michicant". Indeed, within the meat of this album beats a heart of poetry, of loneliness, of isolation, of love, and of rebirth. All of this is compiled into a final piece that epitomizes the world in which the modern man (and woman) lives. At just over five minutes in length, "Beth/Rest" is a startlingly beautiful and introspective masterpiece that blends 80s synths with smooth saxophone inputs and electric guitars that pay heavy tribute to Peter Gabrielle and the Post-rock era. Mixed reviews have lingered with this song, as some have criticized Vernon's auto-tuned voice and the shift in musical qualities that define the piece. However, such commentary is reduced to insignificance when the first icy notes from Vernon's synth hammer into an utter sea of brilliance. "Beth/Rest" grips the listener and invites him or her on a contemporary tour into the mind of Justin Vernon; it offers a heart-wrenching tour-de-force that reassures us, comforts us, and isolates us into the brilliance of Bon Iver. "Bon Iver" is a definitive album concerning what a masterpiece should sound like. Give this one a listen, you won't regret it.… Expand
  14. ughnicewatch
    Mar 23, 2015
    9
    Very difficult album to sit through in its entirety. Not because of any tediousness however, but simply because you have to keep replaying the last track...
  15. MorriBey
    Apr 8, 2014
    10
    This is an amazing album. It took me over a year to like it though. I had scored it 0. I couldnt get it. Stuck on a plane for too many hours and listening to it made me realise what i missed. Its epic.
  16. godwinkent888
    Apr 3, 2014
    8
    It's still good, though. I really really love Bon Iver's music. However, this album just gives this impression that Justin Vernon was better off by himself.
  17. lilkillpappy
    Oct 10, 2013
    10
    This is a very easy review to write. Bon Iver has created another great album. The music of Bon Iver is possibly the best music in history, so that's all there is to say about it. Hope Justin Vernon comes out with more!
  18. christplatt
    Jun 21, 2013
    10
    I originally gave this 9 but I had to come back and top up. I don't think I will ever get bored of this amazing collection of ethereal gems. I can't find a flaw with this record its become one my favourite albums ever. The songwriting here is second to none, if I had to pick favourite tracks then Holocene, Perth and Beth/Rest are beautiful, however so is every other track.
  19. BENNEB
    Feb 20, 2013
    10
    Yes, Bon Iver did it again. An improvement from their previous album. With soothing and ambient settings in the songs, this is their best. Original and trying something new, I did not expect it to be that good. But now, my mind is set. Perth was a great song, starting with a arm-style movement, followed by soothing sounds in Minnesota, WI. Holocene is calm and gentle, followed by TowersYes, Bon Iver did it again. An improvement from their previous album. With soothing and ambient settings in the songs, this is their best. Original and trying something new, I did not expect it to be that good. But now, my mind is set. Perth was a great song, starting with a arm-style movement, followed by soothing sounds in Minnesota, WI. Holocene is calm and gentle, followed by Towers and Michicant respectively, all calm and nice. Then there was the best moment, Hinnom, TX. 'And in Hinnom'. The best song ever. The greatest experimentation with superb vocals. Then the seabreeze Wash., calm tensions. Then Calgary, a nice emotional song. Follow by Lisbon, OH and Beth/Rest, the final ending worth listening. The best album of that year. And Hinnom, TX, the best song ever!… Expand
  20. charlesobrien
    Sep 9, 2012
    9
    An absolute classic which only just falls short of being amongst the same pedigree of his earlier work.
  21. Cobweb
    Aug 17, 2012
    10
    This is a great album, probably even better than For Emma, Forever Ago. It is, in many ways, a very immediate album, with gorgeous melodies that hit the listener instantly and excellent production that lends it a clean feeling. But it can also be a slow-building album. It may take a while for some listeners to wrap their heads around the deliberately cheesy 80s-homage that is "Beth/Rest,"This is a great album, probably even better than For Emma, Forever Ago. It is, in many ways, a very immediate album, with gorgeous melodies that hit the listener instantly and excellent production that lends it a clean feeling. But it can also be a slow-building album. It may take a while for some listeners to wrap their heads around the deliberately cheesy 80s-homage that is "Beth/Rest," but once they do so they'll find that the song buried inside stands out as one of the best on the album. The album is sequenced excellently, with songs flowing into one another and feeling interconnected without ever being same-y and boring. The buildup of the slow, haunting opener "Perth" gets paid off in the frantic, almost country-esque "Minnesota, WI" (which, surprisingly, features Justin Vernon singing in a rich baritone rather than his usual falsetto). "Michican't," "Hinnom, TX," and "Wash" feel like one long alternate-reality indie-folk version of "Bohemian Rhapsody." The closing one-two punch of "Calgary" and "Beth/Rest" contains some of the most brilliant work Bon Iver has ever done. If you're the sort of person who doesn't like slow songs or sad songs this probably isn't the album for you, but if you're of a more mellow disposition or simply appreciate all kinds of music, this is worth checking out. The standout track, in my opinion, would be "Calgary," but the general public seems to prefer "Holocene," so make what you will of that.… Expand
  22. TheDRauch
    Jul 31, 2012
    8
    Bon Iver's second, self-titled release brings out warm, wintry, sipping-hot-cocoa-in-a-log-cabin feelings, but manages to balance them with fits of torrential emotion that is what truly defines the release. There is evidence of a matured artist here and their craft really speaks for itself.
  23. Lordpall
    Feb 25, 2012
    10
    Best album I've ever heard in my life..When I listened to this album, the first time was an orgasm, the second time i cried, then i cry everytime I listen to this album. Simply magic.
  24. Vampire25
    Jan 25, 2012
    9
    Bon Iver's sophomore album sounds like Justin Vernon coming out of the woods and out of the "For Emma, Forever Ago" stage. Bon Iver is officially a band that needs to be reckoned with. The instrumentals swoon on this album. Justin Vernon's falsetto is just as gorgeous, if not more, than For Emma. Bon Iver, Bon Iver may not be as fantastic as their debut album, but it's pretty damn close. A-
  25. zmleslie
    Dec 30, 2011
    9
    Bon Iver is far from being an accessible band. In fact, the first time you listen to their sophomore efforts, you may become very discouraged from their high falsettos. But once you get used to their old-school, light synth-heavy sounds, the album becomes increasingly enjoyable every time you listen to it. It's a surprisingly rewarding record that easily goes down as one of the bests from 2011.
  26. Beau
    Dec 24, 2011
    10
    The greatest band you're not listening to. Every song has a meaning - and all of the lyrics are poetic and daring. You will never hear them on the radio as their songs require to much attention and thought to really grasp the universal greatness that they posses.
  27. Rafa018
    Dec 21, 2011
    10
    amazing album. The self-titled album is more than likely what Justin Vernon wanted to do originally with his first album, For Emma, Forever Ago. He considered those songs demos until they exploded on the internet and on various television shows +1 perfect!
  28. DanceVera
    Dec 18, 2011
    10
    I honestly didn't think For Emma could be beat, but this self-titled gem showed just how much more Justin Vernon is capable of. As a sax player, I have some serious appreciation for his use of the Bass Saxophone (played by awesome Canadian Jazz man, Colin Stetson), and Bon Iver's use of horns in general. This album somehow seamlessly weaves jazz and folk music without sounding eitherI honestly didn't think For Emma could be beat, but this self-titled gem showed just how much more Justin Vernon is capable of. As a sax player, I have some serious appreciation for his use of the Bass Saxophone (played by awesome Canadian Jazz man, Colin Stetson), and Bon Iver's use of horns in general. This album somehow seamlessly weaves jazz and folk music without sounding either elitist or hokey. The only out of place song for me was Beth/Rest, reminding me a bit too much of 80's Christian artist, Michael W Smith... but it actually grew on me somehow. A lovely record that will find a home in my living room and on my headphones for a long time to come.… Expand
  29. ramona
    Dec 12, 2011
    9
    The only song that Iâ
  30. eleaone
    Dec 7, 2011
    10
    Even better than the last album. Less hidden in the woods, more in the open, with bits and piece from a wide range of influences and sounds. This is not an album that can be labeled as one thing. It is plural, and it is good !
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Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Best Album of 2011
18
#18 Most Discussed Album of 2011
1
#1 Most Shared Album of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 43 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 43
  3. Negative: 0 out of 43
  1. Delusions of Adequacy
    Dec 15, 2011
    90
    Bon Iver sounds distinctively matured and alive on Bon Iver: an album that even still, in the late winter, months after its release sounds magical.
    Read full review
  2. Urb
    Sep 9, 2011
    90
    In an industry flooded with trumpeted artists not worth their weight in salt, Bon Iver's abstract ruminations more than warrant the hype.
    Read full review
  3. Blurt Magazine
    Aug 3, 2011
    90
    Akin to For Emma, Bon Iver breaks the listener's heart. And to experience an album (an oft-dreaded sophomore album, no less) that evokes such deep emotion is a welcomed pain.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »