By Erik Hopkins, staff reporter.
Indie folk band Bon Iver has been making an impression on the music scene for almost a decade now, and their third album has finally been gifted to our new music hungry hands.
A new sound has come out of the band this time around, with past albums relying heavy on the acoustic and indie folk sound, “22, A Million” falls more into the folktronica category – one that’s not heard often.
“22, A Million” was released on Sept. 30, 2016, but it has been in the works since 2012. As someone who was an avid fan of Bon Iver’s first two albums, I imagined it’d be quite hard to have a new album that consisted of songs that’d hit me like some of their past songs have.
Let me tell you from firsthand experience, no two songs can make a 20-year-old guy come to tears quite like “Roslyn” and “Skinny Love” can.
Bon Iver has always had a way with lyrics and melodies of songs. They have the power to soothe your soul, as well as make you want to discover it. “22, A Million” is on a completely different level than their past two albums.
The humanist and metaphysical questions tapped into these 10 new songs is unlike any other album released this year. Each song title is adorned with a symbol that fits the meaning of the song.
If you’re searching for a sound similar to Bon Iver’s past albums, you’re not going to find it here. Track “8 (Circle)” is the one that features some sound similar to the ghosts of their pasts.
Other tracks like “666 ʇ” and “33 ‘GOD’” reach from Psalm 22 and the King James Bible for inspiration.
Overall, while the new sound of Bon Iver was a bit hard to adjust to due to their last almost purely acoustic albums, “22, A Million” is worth the listen. Bon Iver’s lyrics still know how to strike a chord to resonate with their audience.
