User Score
Universal acclaim- based on 348 Ratings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 309 out of 348
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Mixed: 27 out of 348
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Negative: 12 out of 348
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Dec 21, 2011amazing 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!
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Oct 10, 2013This 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!
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Aug 17, 2012
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Jun 21, 2013I 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.
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Apr 8, 2014This 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.
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Sep 26, 2011I've struggled a little with this one, but eventually I've be won over. Perth, Holocene and Wash are simply outstanding pieces of music. Calgary is simply beautiful. There are some missteps here most notably Beth/Rest which had me looking around to see if Magnum PI had just driven by, it was dripping with a horrific (to me) 80s American sound, it nearly but not quite ruined the whole experience.
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Jul 1, 2011
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Jun 21, 2011
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Jun 22, 2011This album deserves nothing but amazing reviews. I've been looking forward to this for a while now and was nothing but impressed. Hopefully seeing them in August in either DC or Philly!
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Jun 21, 2011
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Jun 21, 2011This is a gorgeous album. It's complex and beautiful. I don't think it's the easiest album to get in to, but certainly worth listening to at least 100 times before being too down on it.
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Jun 21, 2011I guess it's not for everyone. I love it, and I think the layered synths mark a suprisingly natural progression for the band--still intimate, but not cloistered.
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Dec 24, 2011The 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.
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Jul 16, 2011
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Jul 20, 2011
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Aug 1, 2011Great!!!!
I think it is fantastic,it is one of my favorite albums of the year so far
It has lost of interesting drumming and all the tunes are lovely.
It is im my opinion one of his best albums. -
Aug 20, 2011Knowing Justin for years now, I can't believe how evolved he has become in his musical production. This self titled disc might be one of the best purchases you will ever make.
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Sep 9, 2011The album features opaque story telling, impeccably memorable musical arrangements that evoke the same emotional punch as For Emma, but on a much larger and grander scale.
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Oct 11, 2011
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Nov 12, 2011
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Dec 7, 2011Even 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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Dec 18, 2011
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Feb 25, 2012Best 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.
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Feb 20, 2013
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Mar 7, 2016
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Sep 25, 2021One of the best albums ever. A spiritual, stirring, magical and gorgeous journey the whole way through.
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Sep 22, 2015This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
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Apr 12, 2017This 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.
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Jul 29, 2017Beauty. 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.
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Aug 29, 2011This album WOULD be 10/10 if Forever Emma did not exist and this was the first, fresh blast of originality from bon iver. I'd say it's as good as Forever Emma, but it is very similar in tone, though the production and instruments used are more varied and complex - but without being forced or over done. Excellent album!
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Jan 25, 2012Bon 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-
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Dec 30, 2011Bon 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.
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Jun 23, 2011
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Jun 21, 2011
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Jun 29, 2011A very relaxing, nicely composed album. This album has been an enjoyable listen every time. Not quite as good as "For Emma, Forever Ago," his first album, but that is a very high standard to live up to. He really delivered with this album.
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Aug 9, 2011Bon Iver return for their second album and oh what a wonderful album it is. It doesn't just sound like a collection of songs thrown together but a cohesive piece of art from start to finish. Kudos to Bon Iver
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Jul 26, 2011Absolutely stunning album. While listening to this second full length album from Bon Iver, there is a sense of space and atmosphere that is very difficult to explain. This sense can only be felt from listening to the entire album; start to finish. Overall, it is an unreal album that needs to be listened! 9/10
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Sep 2, 2011Gods gift to the indie Iron and Wine crowd. This is a complete piece of art that has balance and texture throughout the entire CD. Vernon has the most exquisite voice currently obtainable in music and everyone including Kanye and James Blake has worked with him. I can't give much higher praise for any Cd released this year.
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Dec 12, 2011The only song that Iâ
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Aug 27, 2019Follow 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.
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Sep 9, 2012An absolute classic which only just falls short of being amongst the same pedigree of his earlier work.
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Mar 23, 2015Very 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...
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Jan 11, 2016This 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.
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Jan 23, 2017Absolutely 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.
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May 22, 2019Justin 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.
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Jan 9, 2022Take 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.
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Jul 23, 2011i liked this whole album it was decent. it had some good songs. it was a good folk album. if your not a folk music person don't even write an review for this. your just being an hater and a **** solid album
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Jun 26, 2011
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Jul 31, 2011I thought this album was a more upbeat (at times) and more all-around enjoyable than "Emma". Although I am partial to the acoustic sound compared to synth and electronic sound of most of the album, I found myself wanting to listen to this more for its tempo and its tracks ability to grow on me.
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Nov 9, 2011
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Jul 31, 2012Bon 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.
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Apr 3, 2014It'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.
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Nov 9, 2016
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Jan 21, 2020Bon 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.
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Dec 6, 2021Akin 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.
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Aug 21, 2011
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May 30, 2015While it represents a new musical direction for Bon Iver, I feel that it was a mistake, changing most of the good aspects from the band's previous two albums into an over-produced mess.
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Apr 8, 2021A subtle, nuanced work that is beautiful to listen to and creates imagery with each sound.
6.8/10 -
Jun 21, 2011
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Jun 21, 2011This sounds like an amalgamation of yacht rock, folk, and James Blake but with none of the positives of any of 'em. There's no experimentation. There's no hooks. It's good enough to not want to turn off once it's on, but it's not good enough to actively want to listen to. It's easy listening that goes nowhere
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Jul 5, 2011I really don't think I've ever had so many mixed feelings about an album before. One one hand, all the songs sound kinda the same. But on the other hand, all the songs are pretty good. Now I'm the kinda guy who can't stand artists whose songs all sound the same. But they're all pretty alright songs. I
'm just glad this is my biggest stress factor right now... -
Jul 14, 2011
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Jan 12, 2012I don't get the fuss-over about this album. Seriously, it might have folk-based songs and good lyrics, but the last time I checked this mix wasn't supposed to become so boring. It has not a compelling theme like their debut, and Vernom's turned the weakness in a fake bravery. I hope they improve the results they had in this album.
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Jan 30, 2013
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Jun 21, 2011Some of the instrumentation is cool and the singing has some decent hooks. But after a couple songs, his white boys soul thing starts to grate, and god damn if Beth/Rest isn't the worst, cheesiest song of the year.
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Jul 3, 2011
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Jun 23, 2011Probably one of the most boring musicians I have ever had the opportunity to endure. The songs are painfully beige, lacking of any emotion or creativity and totally forgettable.
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Jan 9, 2012
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Jun 21, 2011Justin! I want to hear your voice reverb over and over. I suppose I'll be happy, as long as, people stop citing Vernon as a great songwriter (comparisons to Dylan??) In a year or two no one will probably mention this album or even be listening to it - until the next indie masterpiece!
Awards & Rankings
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Dec 15, 2011Bon Iver sounds distinctively matured and alive on Bon Iver: an album that even still, in the late winter, months after its release sounds magical.
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Sep 9, 2011In an industry flooded with trumpeted artists not worth their weight in salt, Bon Iver's abstract ruminations more than warrant the hype.
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Aug 3, 2011Akin 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.