Bon Iver’s “22 (OVER S∞∞N)” Turns Chaos Into Quiet
What happens after you create something beautiful? You can try to repeat your process, or you can tear it apart and find a way to fit the fragments back together. Justin Vernon has chosen the latter to introduce Bon Iver’s full-length followup to their gorgeous 2011 self-titled record. On that album, Vernon perfected his pastiche of mystic folk and lovely synth grandeur. “22 (OVER S∞∞N) [Bob Moose Extended Cab Version]”—an extended take of the lead track from Bon Iver’s forthcoming 22, A Million—stretches that framework to its physical limits and deconstructs how we hear its beauty.
It sounds broken from the beginning. Clipping noises loop before the song’s mantra, “It might be over soon,” comes out of nowhere, high-pitched and unnatural. White noise hums below. Tape crackles. It’s nearly a minute before acoustic guitar comes in to provide some melody. Still, the song has a sustaining energy that connects all of the otherwise disjointed pieces. They are distinct segments of trouble mixed with hope to become serenity.
“22 (OVER S∞∞N)” is inextricable from Trever Hagen’s statement about the record. A friend and collaborator, he reveals Vernon’s struggles with anxiety, unable to escape the fame he made for himself. “22 (OVER S∞∞N)” is Vernon’s armor from the outside world as well as his comfort. The title is strange, and Vernon’s lyrics are elegiac and obscure. The lines that appear inscrutable (“And then I draw an ear on you/So I can speak into the silence”) create an aura around the song that Vernon injects with colloquialisms as simple as “God damn right.” Isolated sax and strings show that Vernon is not trying to jar, but to bring together musical elements in new ways. “22 (OVER S∞∞N)” is a necessary answer to confusion for Justin Vernon and Bon Iver. It’s a song that absorbs chaos, only to repurpose it into quiet strength.
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