Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago and December Events
Take three months of solitude in a Wisconsin cabin. Add a Silvertone guitar and a pair of old drums. Mix in thoughts of love, loss, and almost everything in between. What do you get? Bon Iver’s hauntingly beautiful For Emma, Forever Ago.
A generally slow-paced acoustic album, For Emma, Forever Ago appropriately reflects the name of the band: Bon Iver (pronounced “bon-eevair”), which means “good winter” in French. From the opening chord in “Flume” to the final note in “Re: Stacks”, the listener is enfolded by the simple guitar strums and the effortless, yet distant falsetto of Bon Iver front man Justin Vernon.
Throughout the album, Vernon conveys his most intimate emotions through the ambi-
guity of his evocative lyrics. But perhaps his lyrics are too convoluted for their own good. For example, the chorus of “Flume” reads, “Only love is all maroon/Gluey feathers on a flume/Sky is womb and she’s the moon.” Vague lyrics aside, one thing is certain — Vernon has a knack for seamlessly weaving subject matter and sound.
Vernon layers basic chords to create heart wrenching combinations of harmonized melodies. With each repetition of the lines, “What might have been lost,/Don’t bother me,” Vernon pours his emotional pain and frustration into the wonderfully blended “The Wolves (Act I and II)”. Ultimately, it is Vernon’s ethereal voice that draws the attention of its listeners and his poignant lyrics that keep them interested.
Since its release on the label Jagjaguwar in 2008, Bon Iver’s first album has
garnered the attention of major publications such as Rolling Stone and Spin. Fans of Iron & Wine, Fleet Foxes, and The National are sure to appre-
ciate the lingering sounds of Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago.
For the latest music by Bon Iver, be sure to check out the songs “Monster” and “Lost in the Woods” from Kanye West’s latest album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Take a listen (requires Flash): Bon Iver – Skinny Love
[audio:http://www.scjag.com/mp3/jag/skinnylove.mp3]
This month’s events:
Telegraph Avenue Holiday Street Fair: December 11-12, 18-19, & 23-24, 11am to 6pm, at Telegraph Hill in Berkeley
Free admission!
This fair offers the rare opportunity to buy fine art originals and inexpensive gift items in the same place. Shoppers can choose from a tremendous diversity of arts and crafts, including jewelry, beadwork, wirework, hats, candles, leather work, silk-screened and tie-dyed clothing, pottery, wood crafts, metal crafts, paintings, henna-art, gift boxes, photography and sculptures.
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Japanesque: The Japanese Print in the Era of Impressionism: December 1 to January 9, times may vary, at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco
General admission: $10 adults, $6, youth (13-17)
The Japanese Print in the Era of Impressionism introduces audiences to the development of the Japanese print over two centuries (1700–1900) and reveals its profound influence on Western art during the era of Impressionism. This exhibition complements the de Young Museum’s presentations of paintings from the Musée d’Orsay, many of which are aesthetically indebted to concepts of Japanese art. Culled primarily from the holdings of the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, the exhibition of approximately 250 prints, drawings, and artists’ books unfolds in three sections: Evolution, Essence, and Influence.
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The San Jose Tech Museum presents: Body Worlds Vital: times and dates vary (open until January 2, 2011), located at the San Jose Tech Museum
Adults: $19, Children (3-17): $12, Seniors (62+): $17
BODY WORLDS Vital, in its first-ever showing, celebrates the potential of the human body and the body in motion. Featuring authentic human bodies, the exhibition shows the body in health, distress and disease. These detailed anatomical studies, compositions, and representations allow visitors a penetrating gaze at what lies beneath the skin.
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