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Justin Vernon and Heartbreak

Justin Vernon’s airy voice haunts me. His voice portrays all the emotions he felt, unapologetically and that’s why I listen to him. He creates a nostalgic atmosphere, which is extremely raw and tender, it’s like I’m with him in his father’s hunting cabin where he recorded his first album - For Emma, Forever Ago.

Justin Vernon is from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He formed a band called Deyarmond Edison and moved to North California but things didn't work out. The band fell apart and Justin went through a rough breakup, he also suffered from Mono (a liver disease). Vernon moved back to Eau Claire to live in his father’s hunting cabin, alone in the wild for three months with some musical instruments. It was there he recorded For Emma, Forever Ago. For Emma, Forever Ago is mellow and it shows just how vulnerable Justin is, alone in his father’s hunting cabin. The album is a sentimental masterpiece and is awfully painful at some instances, like when Justin sings “What might have been lost”. His music touches my soul, and I live his mental and physical pain. Justin Vernon’s delicate falsetto creates a gloomy ambience. He manages to capture all the emotions at once. Bottom line, ‘that dude can sing’ and ‘he knows his shit’.

For Emma, Forever Ago changed Indie Folk, forever. The genre Indie Folk got more exposure and started getting main stream coverage. Vernon came to international prominence with For Emma, Forever Ago in 2007. In 2011, Justin Vernon and his band BON IVER came out with their second album Bon Iver, Bon Iver. Their second album won hearts all over the globe and Justin Vernon ended up with two Grammys - Best New Artist and Best Alternative Album at the 2012 Grammy Awards, for their 2011 self-titled album. Bon Iver, Bon Iver was commercially successful and sold a total of 629,000 copies in the United States. “Holocene” was nominated for the Song of The Year and Record of the Year, however, Perth was my favourite song in the album. When Justin sings midway through Perth, “Still Alive For You”, I lose my shit. Perth was written for Heath Ledger, after he passed away and since Heath was born in Perth (Australia), Justin called the song Perth.

It all started in his father’s hunting cabin, a heartbroken Justin Vernon with a guitar and some other instruments started recording songs and created something magical. Vernon is a genius when it comes to portraying emotions, he hardly uses clichés. He engrosses the listeners’ with his voice and charms them with his words. We need more people like Justin Vernon, he is a delicate human being. We all have to thank Emma for breaking Justin’s fragile heart ( I know, it sounds extremely idiotic but none of this would have been possible if Emma didn't break his heart ). In For Emma, Forever Ago, Justin rips his chest and puts his heart in his mouth and the result is orgasmic. Vernon’s falsetto is nothing short of extraordinary and this is what makes him so special, his ability to hit higher notes. Justin Vernon lived alone in the woods in chilly Wisconsin to produce one of the greatest, if not the greatest heartbreak album, ever, period. Vernon wonderfully blurs the line of limitation and gives us something extraordinary. He is passionate about music and it’s pretty evident. Justin’s music is not just entertainment rather it is a spiritual fuckin’ thing. His music is almost cathartic! Justin Vernon’s voice will make you believe in love and his words will make you want to be in love.

In 2016, Justin Vernon released Bon Iver’s third album, 22 a million. It was recorded in his April base studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. 22 a million was completely different from Bon Iver’s first two albums. It was dark, mysterious and hypnotising. Justin Vernon totally changed the perception people had about him as a heartbroken man with a guitar, alone in the wild. He came up with something complex and dingy. The album had a level of magnetism attached to it. Vernon has been inspired a lot by hip-hop music and has collaborated with a number of rap artists throughout his career. 22 a million, brought a different side of Bon Iver, a side no one expected. 22 a million, is probably ahead of its time and that’s no hyperbole. The album sounds more polished than the previous two albums. Justin Vernon is the most underrated musician on this planet, according to me.

Justin has always been a passionate musician. His song ‘ A Song for a lover of long ago’ is the greatest heartbreak song ever. In the chorus he sing,”I have buried you in everyplace I have been, You keep ending up in my shaking hands”, the chorus makes me cry every time and I am not a sensitive guy at all, It’s just that Vernon is a freakin’ genius when it comes to music. He knows how to move people with just his words. Justin’s music explores the dungeons of emotions buried deep inside and it rinses them out. He is a master when it comes to expressing his emotions, his music is peaceful and calming. Justin Vernon, however, never wanted fame, he says “ I feel both blessed and cursed by the fact that I can do whatever I want at this point”.  Vernon is extremely dynamic, electric and creative with his music, every song is different and unique. His music will make you cry over a girlfriend you never had. Saying Justin Vernon is good is an understatement. He will always be attached to that fabled cabin. That cabin represents Justin - isolated, obscure, strong and soothing.