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I, I
by
I, I Image
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 170 Ratings

  • Summary: The fourth full-length release for the indie folk band led by Justin Vernon features contributions from such artists as James, Blake, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, BJ Burton, S. Carey, Aaron & Bryce Dessner, Phil Cook, Moses Sumney and Bruce Hornsby, and Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. Consequence
    Aug 13, 2019
    100
    The singles have zing, the pacing is superb, and the back half is just as fun as the front. With i,i, you feel the whole last decade: the exploration, the lessons learned. i,i is a mature masterpiece and a stunning marriage of ambition and technique.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Aug 8, 2019
    91
    i,i, feels as confident as anything he’s ever done: a dense, richly layered showcase for his continued aversion to the standard rules of grammar and the deepening of his defiantly uncommercial sound.
  3. Exclaim
    Aug 12, 2019
    90
    It's rich and endlessly rewarding. i,i brings together Justin Vernon's evolving, career-spanning vision for Bon Iver into one satisfying, defining work.
  4. Clash Music
    Aug 8, 2019
    80
    This is a sound of a warm, human futurism. A record that feels impressionistic and abstract, dominated more by feeling than theme. Heavy sounds deployed deftly. Sometimes it feels a little fragmented (like on the slightly off-kilter swagger of ‘We’).
  5. Mojo
    Aug 20, 2019
    80
    i,i never sounds less than excellent, with wide-open acoustic/electric audio structures allowing pizzicato strings to waft through and rising clouds of horns to blow in unexpectedly. It really is bleeding edge stuff. [Oct 2019, p.90]
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  6. Los Angeles Times
    Aug 12, 2019
    70
    Vernon’s comments are crucial to divining his meaning in lyrics that can still tend toward the almost comically opaque. ... But the music on “i,i” bolsters this newly outward-looking sense; it’s far more spacious than the hushed acoustic laments of “For Emma, Forever Ago” or the cloistered electro-folk sound of the group’s last album, 2016’s “22, A Million.”
  7. The Guardian
    Aug 8, 2019
    40
    There is lots of prettiness and some innovative production, like the tumbles of wordless vocal on iMi, gently insulated by downy static; Vernon’s gospel holler and falsetto curlicues will always make ears prick up. But frequently, including on iMi, his melodies are uninspired, feeling like the first thing he came up with while woodshedding around the backing track.

See all 33 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 36
  3. Negative: 4 out of 36
  1. Mauriperez21
    Aug 31, 2019
    10
    En este nuevo trabajo de swift se puede apreciar la madurez de la artista y una gran evolución musicalmente la forma en la que usa lasEn este nuevo trabajo de swift se puede apreciar la madurez de la artista y una gran evolución musicalmente la forma en la que usa las trompetas y el saxofón es magnífico y su voz suena increíble y como manejó la composición y toda la elaboración de cada canción es alguien de admirar, sin duda uno de sus mejores trabajos que ha elaborado… Expand
  2. dsoya18
    Aug 12, 2019
    10
    I,I is the culmination of the calendar, which is Justin Vernon's Bon Iver. Vernon who let loose, and decidedly did the job of steering theI,I is the culmination of the calendar, which is Justin Vernon's Bon Iver. Vernon who let loose, and decidedly did the job of steering the boat, led a crew of his counter parts to create an all encompassing portrait of the progression of his prized project. At times referencing the fully stripped nature of his first album, but with a healthy mix of synth, and inject electronics. Incorporating the grandeur of the second album (Sax and all) with the minimalism of the Blood Bank EP. This is everything, some may not be able grasp the full depth of this music, or take the time to understand/appreciate how deeply complicated it is, or even know what goes into creating, writing, and producing a song. For the people who do understand these concepts this album will be regarded as a golden standard. The real amazing and impressive measure of this album is that it can be so complex, but still be listenable to those who think that Taylor Swift major scales and chords of is the pinnacle of song writing.
    This album is not just Vernon's work, though it is a reflection on one's self and a nod toward self actualization, this album defines collaboration. Stretching from the abstract "Jelmore" to the smooth and digestible "RABi" Brad Cook helped Vernon take his symbolic/jaded messaging form 22, a million, and direct it, making it crisp, easily deciphered, but cryptic enough to be intriguing.    … Expand
  4. SergeVolchenkov
    Aug 9, 2019
    10
    This album is out of our world. Beautiful, well structured with gorgeous sound.
  5. marcmyworks
    Aug 20, 2019
    9
    Bon Iver manages to further the sound of 22, A Million by fusing its electronic tones with experimental jazz. Truly this is a jazz album forBon Iver manages to further the sound of 22, A Million by fusing its electronic tones with experimental jazz. Truly this is a jazz album for the 21st century and probably one of the best albums released so far this year. Listen to: Hey Ma, We, U (Man Like).… Expand
  6. GabrielPaz
    Feb 9, 2020
    8
    Eu voltava pra casa ouvindo i,i, mas o sentimento de solidão que ele me trouxe foi caótico, ele é lindo demais quando escutado em meio daEu voltava pra casa ouvindo i,i, mas o sentimento de solidão que ele me trouxe foi caótico, ele é lindo demais quando escutado em meio da natureza ou viajando.… Expand
  7. Wanesta
    Jan 11, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. On a far more bright and optimistic note than the shattering and groundbreaking 22, A Million, Bon Iver still manage to pull the heartstrings for any of those who dares to listen. Way less intense than his previous album, it is also not as united. It feels like a more commercial approach to the drastic sound change offered on 22, A Million, and it’s maybe not striking as much. Still, standalone tracks like “iMi”, “U (Man Like)”, “Naeem”, “Faith” and “Marion” makes the album work, but sadly not quite like the rest of his discography.… Expand
  8. kevinpm
    Sep 12, 2019
    0
    Just as bad as the last album, why Justin goes down this road of sound pollution is beyond me. The first two albums are my all time favorites.Just as bad as the last album, why Justin goes down this road of sound pollution is beyond me. The first two albums are my all time favorites. Followed by two of the worst album I've ever heard in my life :(… Expand

See all 36 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

39
#39 Most Discussed Album of 2019
7
#7 Most Shared Album of 2019

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