From the moment For Emma, Forever Ago thrusted him into the public eye, Justin Vernon has been a glutton for collaboration. He’s spent the next decade rushing from the avant-garde Volcano Choir to the drugged up soft rock collective Gayngs to the blues rock Shouting Matches to multiple collaborations with Kanye West, James Blake, and many more.

And while previous Bon Iver releases have brought this genre hopping under the umbrella of his solo project, i,i (pronounced “I comma I”) fully captures that collaborative spirit.

The title of this record might be a little deceptive. While Vernon has previously brought in cowriters for a track or two on 22, A Million and Bon Iver, Bon Iver, every track on i,i features a long list of cowriters. Only three songs credit Vernon and one other; “iMi” credits ten other writers, including James Blake, Wheezy, and a number of his Gayngs conspirators.

Most notably, after years of making his love of Bruce Hornsby obvious (see Bon Iver closer “Beth/Rest”), Hornsby himself appears as a cowriter and performer on the gospel-tinged “U (Man Like).”

But for all of these outside voices, this sounds all the world like a Bon Iver record. And after the huge jumps between the three previous records, there’s not really anything he can do to surprise us anymore (unless he releases a grindcore record). Certain promotions called it the autumn of Bon Iver’s discography, and that’s an apt comparison. i,i is an excellent summation of everything he’s done before: the glitching electronics of 22, the lush mini-orchestra of Bon Iver, and even a few moments of For Emma’s rustic folk, all without feeling like he’s retreading any old ground.

Aesthetically, it digs deeper into the flow of consciousness, conspiracy theorist, mysticism that informed 22, A Million. Lyrics are chosen seemingly for their phonetics rather than their definitions (barring “U (Man Like)” which hides a sharptongued condemnation of toxic masculinity). On “Naeem” he sings “Tell them I’ll be passing on/Tell them we’re young mastodons.” On “RABi,” “We are weightless like a wayless beast.” The song names follow suit, orphaned commas included in the titles, letters capitalized seemingly at random.

And yet, for all of the verbal formlessness, this record hits the same way as all the rest: a soulful kick to the teeth that’s understood emotionally far more than it is cerebrally. Tracks like “Hey Ma,” “Faith,” and “Salem” are excellent additions to his canon of heartful indie ballads, though they have a little more forward motion than previous Bon Iver tracks. “Salem” is almost even danceable. 

At this point though, all Bon Iver has to do to create a great record is not disappoint. And i,i certainly succeeds in that aim. From the desolate quietness of “Sh’Diah” to the soulful jubilance of “Hey Ma,” this whole record is felt before it is thought about. That said, it’s maybe his least immediate release. The other three records were all instant buys. I preordered 22, A Million as soon as I heard the singles. i,i is a grower though. Though that growth continues the more I listen to it. It may not be as immediate, but it may be more rewarding than anything else they’ve done. I suppose we’ll see how it shakes out in a few months.

 

If nothing else, it’s certainly the best packaging job: the jacket is printed with spot glass and inserted into a clear transparent sleeve with partial printing. The lyric booklet is massive and includes page after page of extra art. Unfortunately, it doesn’t photograph well, but I encourage you to track down a copy to see for yourself.