The Year of Hibernation - Youth Lagoon
Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
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  1. musicOMH.com
    Nov 15, 2011
    90
    The Year Of Hibernation is a powerful bit of emotional alchemy, arresting and enchanting in its naked simplicity, and Powers has accomplished a tour de force far beyond his bedroom walls or his 22 years.
  2. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Oct 26, 2011
    88
    Youth Lagoon will never reproduce anything like The Year of Hibernation. I think in 2011, this is called The Bon Iver Effect. The result of fame is that Powers will never be in this place again. But maybe that's best.
  3. Pitchfork
    Sep 29, 2011
    84
    The record mixes feelings of protection and safety with the tug of adventure and wraps it in compulsively listenable music that explodes at just the right moments.
  4. The A.V. Club
    Sep 27, 2011
    83
    There are only eight songs on Hibernation, but each track goes from murky depths to total transcendence as Powers, the wizard behind the curtain, attempts to dream himself out of the bedroom.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. ResonantPassage
    9
    It is a story and concept that seems to be the trend nowadays in indie music. Kid creates lo-fi music in his bedroom on his own, and then somehow becomes a surprise success. At first glance, it seems Youth Lagoonâ… Full Review »
  2. jyo_tirmaya
    8
    This music works for me in so many different ways. I can really relate to Power's sense of hibernation. It's one of the things I do best. Go out about town (Chicago) and then come home 3 hours later to take in what it is I saw and felt as I moved about here and there. I had no idea this came out in 2011. How did I miss it? Fortunately, his "Wondrous Bughouse" came out to good reviews and I liked what I heard when I streamed it. These are two totally different albums in that Power's seems to have added confidence in his music the second time around. Both of the albums are wondrous coming from a young man of only 21 years of age, especially with this album sounding like a project he made in his bedroom, but, yet, it's better than a lot of polished music, which I'm hearing so far this year, being made in big studios with lots of money. Highly Recommended!… Full Review »
  3. geoff_hano
    10
    I moved halfway across the US when this album came out. I had just graduated college and was making a big change in my life. Every step of that transition (especially the 13 hour drive down), this album was with me, just as God was with me (and the music, for me, reminded me of this). A few months later, my friend and I had the privilege of seeing Trevor play in my new resident city. The show was sold out, but after hanging outside and making friends with the staff, we were allowed in. The feeling I had perfectly matched the music he played. We spent the next three hours after the show hanging out with him, just the three of us. He was such a happy kid, but with a lot of thoughts swirling around in his head--again, this translates onto the album. This album is incredible, perfectly capturing the feeling you have when the world is wide open to you, and you must decide what to do with it (which is both exciting and nerve-wracking). I told him my favorite song was The Hunt, the last track, and he said "Me too. I cried while I was recording the keys for that." You can hear the passion--not even necessarily in the vocals. If you're familiar with this album, you'd have believed him too.… Full Review »
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