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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

22, A Million

Bon Iver

2016

22, A Million
Album Summary

This album has been submitted by a user and is not included in any edition of the book.

22, A Million is the third studio album by American indie folk band Bon Iver, released on September 30, 2016. Recorded in lead member Justin Vernon's April Base studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the album marks a major shift in the band's sound and incorporates elements of electronic music and hip hop production influenced by Vernon's prior work with Kanye West. Most of the lyricism concerns Bon Iver's rise in popularity and how Vernon's relationship with the world has changed as a result. 22, A Million first premiered at Vernon's Eaux Claires Music Festival, and upon release the album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, receiving widespread acclaim from critics who praised its original sound and colorful lyricism. Several publications, including Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and The Guardian, listed 22, A Million as one of the best albums of 2016. It also received nominations for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Recording Package at the 2017 Grammy Awards. In 2019, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone included it in their list of best albums of the decade, at number 91 and 47, respectively.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.96

Votes

111

Genres

  • Rock
  • Electronica

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Reviews

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Mar 03 2024
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2

4/10. A mix of weird electronic sounds and sleepy piano music that just really isn't doing it for me today. Good to know that someone is out there forcing Spotify to support unicode, though.

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Mar 22 2024
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2

Once in a while I hear a Bon Iver song and thing, "Oh, that's pretty nice." But mostly I just find him pretentious. Naming songs the way Elon Musk names his children, and please, enough with the auto-tuner. 2 stars.

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Mar 28 2024
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2

Meh. Hipsters doing... something. 2/5

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Mar 11 2024
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5

Amazing addition to the list. Still my fav record by them.

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Mar 12 2024
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3

Folk boy goes experimental with mixed results. Seldom has auto tune been more unnecessarily applied.

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Mar 16 2024
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5

Yeah this is where Bon Iver really mashed a Radiohead and Gotye sound together with his own blend.

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Aug 13 2024
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5

I almost submitted this album. This album showcases Justin Vernon’s struggle with growing fame both lyrically and musically. Here we hear his voice, Bon Iver’s focal point, distorted throughout almost as if he’s hiding himself in the electronics (invented in house by Chris Messina by the way). The tumult can be heard throughout, comes to a head, and dissolves into the final song where we finally hear the man himself without the artifice. That’s not to say the electronics only serve the purpose of obfuscation. They also turn sound into a kaleidoscope as heard on the penultimate track where one saxophone is transformed into many. I had the pleasure of hearing this album played through from start to finish at Oakland’s Fox Theater and I can attest to its power and masterful use of tension and release.

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Oct 10 2024
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5

A lovely, weird, creative, sad bunch of harmonies and ambient music fed through an electronic filter. This is great and came at just the right time to feel sad to. Rating: 5 Playlist track: 666 ʇ Date listened: 09/10/24

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Oct 19 2024
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5

Oh, I like this a lot. Thank you!

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Mar 05 2024
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4

Does not match the highs of Emily, but is still pretty great. Cool to see that his sound continued to evolve even after I stopped listening regularly.

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Mar 24 2024
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4

The sampling and the integrity of Bon Iver kind of don't match for me... I don't think it's their best album. But it's enjoyable

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Apr 09 2024
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4

First of the user albums that I've heard before

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Jul 27 2024
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4

Not shocked to see a Bon Iver album on the user submitted list. He’s definitely one of the more iconic modern artists with his unique style. This album I wouldn’t say is his best but it’s definitely one I like and also very experimental. Overall this is a catchy and brilliantly artistic album that deserves many re-listens. 8.2/10

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Sep 12 2024
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4

It's cool when a band or artist takes a weird step forward with a new album. It can be risky but in this case it pays off.

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Oct 14 2024
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4

I’ve only ever listened to for Emma so it was cool to hear non wistful sad stuff and listen to cool electronica type stuff instead. Fun to listen to while high too.

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Oct 19 2024
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4

Very interesting and at times I really liked it, although it was low key and I did tire of the auto tune at times. But still lovely and personal.

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Oct 19 2024
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4

All the electronic sounds would have kept me from thinking this was really "indie folk," but then again it's part of such an interesting blend of genres. While I sometimes wondered if I liked it, I was always captivated by it and thought it had quite beautiful moments.

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Mar 09 2024
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3

The Song is dead. Justin Vernon is still alive, apparent and there as sculptor. Which is to say that 22, A Million never bends its sound to architecture, a strict and intentional limit less a shame for pain's sake than beauty's. Can't live within modernity, the squeeze of the literally digital.

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Mar 12 2024
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3

I have a great fondness for the first three releases, I kind of had stopped following at this one. Some of this seems verging at (I think intentional) self-parody, certainly it seems a rebellion of sorts. I don't hate it and like some of it pretty well but overall it doesn't quite seem fully baked. In all though I'd rather see someone forging into new territory, even if not fully successful, than circling over the same oground.

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Mar 16 2024
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3

It is definitely a very unique, instant recognizable sound. I should listen to this more often to actually get into it more. For now, I'm starting with 3/5 stars.

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Apr 17 2024
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3

My first full-length Bon Iver listen, and I fully get the hype. This is a wondrous, expansive LP that strives to push boundaries and break things, misusing production techniques to create some truly clever tracks. This does, however, lead to a certain sense of emotional sterility – the LP reads more as a museum art piece than an album I'd put on to fully listen to for the emotional response. I know Iver's other works have soul in spades, so it's a shame this collection of tracks doesn't quite read that intimately. That said, however, this is still an amazingly cool work of art and one I could see myself returning to when the vibes are just right.

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Jul 12 2024
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3

I once worked with a Bon Over fan who called my criticism that their music doesn't go anywhere "clichéd". It's right though, innit. Still, it was a different vibe and I appreciate your selection.

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Sep 09 2024
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3

He is definitely an artist missing from the list, though I definitely in the For Emma, Forever Ago camp... one of my absolute favorite albums. This is definitely way more experimental, though his approach still shows a lot passion. The slightly more traditional tracks like 8 Circle really work for me, but there's not enough like that which makes most of the album more of a curiosity.

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Sep 09 2024
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3

It's a very inventive album that seems to overturn a lot of the paradigms of what a song needs to be. Ultimately, however, it doesn't really work for me. A bit mechanical, a bit herky jerky.

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Mar 03 2024
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2

I don't know what Bon Iver was trying to accomplish with this album, but I did not get it. I still don't get it now

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Mar 06 2024
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2

Bon Iver is definitely an acquired taste, and apparently it is something I haven't acquired.

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Mar 16 2024
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2

I know people raved about this then and I think some called it album of the year, but I never understood it. I really loved his debut with his beautiful voice. On this album is full of vocoder and autotune. Such a waste.

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Apr 08 2024
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2

Nice variety of sounds. Very interesting. Although it's not much of my taste, I'll give it a 2, but more of this kind of experimental sounds could have been on the list. This kind of "indie" music is kinda over-exploted nowadays also, I think.

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May 12 2024
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2

Too experimental with vocoder voicings and weird electronica. Not enjoying this one

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Aug 01 2024
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2

Didn't get on with it, an attempt to mix rock and electro, but, particularly the slower songs just don't work for me. 1.7

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Oct 01 2024
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2

Okay, I'm "an old," but I'm not getting much out of this at all.

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Oct 09 2024
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2

Uggh. Bon Iver is so bland. It's just boring pseudo "indie" hipster soundscapes. Snoozefest.

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Oct 16 2024
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2

Folktronica, art pop, electronic. Rollo. Un 2.

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Jun 03 2024
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1

Let's take shitty indie music and add auto tune. It was still awful. Songs were skipped.

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