Bon Ivor - For Emma, Forever Ago

Looking like a kind of bear man hybrid (in the nicest possible way) and probably standing at about 12 feet tall, Bon Ivor is perhaps not the most obvious candidate to create the heartfelt songs found on For Emma, Forever Ago. Furthermore, his almost child like high pitched vocals seem so alien to his visual presence that you almost suspect that he has been possessed by an overly emotional ten year old. Stupid analogies aside, simply put, this album is beautiful. Although taking hints from both Damien Rice and Jose Gonzalez, Ivor’s style is far more subtle and does take a few listens in a darkened room to really understand where he is coming from. Clearly less “pop” then his aforementioned contemporaries, For Emma… mixes a kind of folky, emotional style but with all the catchiness of both Rice and Gonzalez. Skinny Love is clearly the album’s single, epitomising the rustic, coarse feel of the whole record. It is perhaps the less obvious tracks which with time you can really start to immerse yourself in. The Wolves (Act 1 and 2) builds slowly and crescendos with such beauty. Re: Stacks, the albums final track, and possibly my personal favourite, is the perfect example of how powerful simple, acoustic music really can be. With winter drawing in and the days getter shorter and shorter, For Emma… could be the perfect soundtrack to those cold nights.