Holocene: How Bon Iver Creates A Mood
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ส.ค. 2016
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SOURCES AND FURTHER READING:
Bob Owsisnki, "Bon Iver 'Holocence' Song Analysis" (via The Big Picture Music Production Blog) bobbyowsinski.blogspot.com/201...
Jon Dolan, "Bon Iver's 'Bon Iver': A Track-by-Track Breakdown" (via Rolling Stone
www.rollingstone.com/music/new...
Gary Ewer, "Clever Instrumentation Can Really Class Up A Song" (via ESS)
www.secretsofsongwriting.com/2... - บันเทิง
This song makes me feel like I’m in love and also like my heart is simultaneously shattered on the ground in a million pieces.
His music always makes me feel like that. In a way, he's like the manifestation of saudade.
Lmaooo me
Yea because that’s kinda what it’s about it’s about falling out of touch with a friend
yes
I know this feeling, it means you loved someone...and let that person go
I’m not even exaggerating right now. This is the greatest song ever made. It has honestly saved my life.
Probably my favourite song of all time. Awesome video! Thanks for the explanation.
Here I am- on TH-cam trying to figure out- what this song really means. Now I realized how it has taken me on a rollercoaster of emotions- yet, not knowing what all the lyrics meant. The music itself beyond phenomenal.
This guy has become my favorite TH-camr. He puts so much thought into these videoessays.
this song always does give me chills.
It's always felt so overwhelming for me.
it does. beautiful piece.
ME TOO!!!
same!!!!
And 'Anchor' by Novo Amor too.
Sometimes it's hard putting into words why certain music feels nostalgic, you nailed it man.
Great video!
You should do one about Sufjan Stevens!
Yes pls
YES YES YES.
Sufjan is 1000x better and more creative than Bon Iver.
YES!
Vojta K..
I have always been facinated with how Vernon approaches the voice as an instrument. He makes the words hard to discern (at least for those unfamiliar with his vocal style) and experiments with autotune, falsetto, etc. A good example of this is also in "Woods".
OnceUponAPiano He artistically works so well with “Woods”. There’s so much context in the song that is felt and not exactly said.
And The Wolves
"Woods" is a masterpiece
22, a Million’s “Deathbreast” and “Creeks” are also good examples.
same goes with a band from my country, Up Dharma Down. it's very hard for filipinos to understand what Armi (the vocalist) is saying because she uses her voice to add melody to the instrumentals.
One of my favourite TH-camrs making a video about one of my favourite songs!!
i was literally about to write this same comment
Hahahaha totes. Same here
Same. Made my day already.
SAME SAME SAME.
+Kayla Griffith yup! Was thinking that too
This video was the final trigger for me to go start a Patreon account and pledge to you, Evan. You inspire me so much and please keep doing what you do.
And I love Bon Iver
+DunnYT Just don't be sending any of your money to Ethan because his name is Evan.
Lol my bad, dunno why I typed Ethan. Literally just got the thank you message and everything with Evan in it. The content is just as good and inspiring regardless though
Wow Ethan! Great moves. Keep it up. Proud of you.
This video was the final trigger for me to unsubscribe
Everytime i took a long drive in the morning and the scenery is soothing with mountains and fogs, i play this song immediately. Makes a perfect day.
Beautifully done, Evan. Regarding the last section of the video, here's a quote that I think fits: “What is most personal is most universal.” (Carl Rogers)
Did you call the tenor saxophone a brass instrument?
+Cam Anderson Most scholars agree that you should qualify a brass instrument not by the material it's made of, but by the way the sound is made - that is, by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips. Brass instruments made of wood include the alphorn, cornett, serpent and didgeridoo. Conversely, the saxophone is a woodwind instrument that just so happens to be made out of brass.
"But it's made of metal that means it's brass rite guise???"
"but would use the general "horns" referring to brass and saxes"
that really depends on the role they play in the piece. Though honestly situations where you ought to be referring to even just the entire brass aren't exactly common, because they're typically not doing the same thing.
Woodwinds use a wooden reed. Doesn't matter what they are made out of. K?
I knew this comment would be here haha
What a great explanation of a great song. Exceptional editing throughout.
So are saying the title also suggests a "hollow scene?"
+
The trumpets in the background during the quiet part between verse 2 and 3 reminds me of a quiet, northern, midwestern winter night when you can hear geese in the distance chatting away, snow falling, nearly no wind, fire crackling maybe, seeing your breath, the crunch of snow beneath your feet. I love this song.
"M83 - Wait". That's a song that should be analyzed like this.
Hipsteria ohmygod yes.
I love that song so much!
We could also talk about "couleurs"
omg yes
Middle 8 channel has analyzed m83, check it out
God I love these
Wow, a video on Bon Iver
After a few hundred listens, and a half dozen times watching this video, you'll eventually pick up and appreciate the bass guitar in this song.
U should check out "The tallest man on earth".
Yeah, hes awesome
what song of his specifically do you recommend as a first time listener?
fuck yes, where do my bluebird fly
I can recommend dark bird is home
+napty "King of spain" is a very catchy song of his.
Bon Iver is the sonic equivalent of a canvas tote bag filled with felt pipecleaners
You...you got'em?
...okay?
+Jaimeen Adhia I think he's saying the music has a very soft, soothing sound
Yung Falafel i was actually making a joke, if you can believe that.
OddGonzo oh well in that case I don't get the joke
this is absolutely my favorite channel on youtube. every time you find a way to describe my thoughts on any given subject in a way I don't have the vocabulary too. A+, and 100%
This has always been one of my favourite Bon Iver songs. It always gives me chills, makes me feel nostalgic for things that I haven't experienced. Now I know why. Great video!
Damn, I always assumed it was a solo artist pronounced B-on Eye-ver.
The name is pronounced the way it would be in French. It comes from the French phrase "bon hiver" which means good winter. It's a greeting :D
I heard people pronounce it as "Bonny Bear." So which is it? lol
Boney (As in bone with a "y") Vear (Sounds like "wear.".
So that's the correct way to say it? Or as you mentioned before which was "Bon hiver."
Yes. The band name is pronounced and based on the French phrase "bon hiver." "Boney Vear" or "Bone-ee-VARE" is the phonetical pronunciation of that. Does that make sense?
You got it, exactly. This song captures. Takes one back to the moody nostalgic parts of the heart where we store up our precious pieces of all the things that changed us. And in a magic moment we live it one more time in an almost omnipresent way. This is why Justin Vernon is an artistic genius. Beautiful review. Many thanks
I love the presentation! The way you break down the songs is not only solid in the content you provide but in the way the video is presented. I really enjoy the visualizations you create! Thank you for putting in so much effort into your videos!
I just have to say that I found your channel a few weeks ago and I can't stop watching. Your breakdowns of everything are so insightful and inspiring. THANK YOU!
Nerdwriter1, you will never fathom how great of a person you are , I truly believe this channel could save the small bit of humanity this world has, audience RISE UP, and listen, learn, teach, see, i'm the biggest atheist, but i truly believe i've found a godly income of information, fare well friend, i hope every soul can catch one of your videos, All my love to you and your work
How does he make videos on everything I love what the heck
Research. You can do it as well given time and effort.
@@_sayan_roy_ The OP is talking about how it's surprising that many of Nerdwriter's videos are on things that happen to be favorites of theirs, and how they like that coincidence. They're not asking how to make the videos. Work on your reading comprehension before trying to be pretentious.
This channel is beautiful as it makes the unnoticed become noticed, making us aware of the composers intent. Keep up the great music analysis.
I hope you keep doing more music analysis essays. I love music, and when you do these videos I find out something new! They're quite intriguing and fascinating.
I've always interpreted the message of Holocene as a reminder of our insignificance in the grand scheme of things. We're actually in the middle of an ice age that's lasted 2.6 million years. The warm holocene period has only been around for the last 10000 years and it won't be long before we're plunged back into the ice age again. Everything humans have accomplished has basically taken place during a warm moment in the middle of a long and bitter winter. Our entire specie's current existence was a flash in the pan, and we're just mind-bogglingly lucky to be here to appreciate it.
I actually watched the video twice! Superb. I usually sleep with this song in the background. Bon Iver + RainyMood = L0v3. Big Love !
i’ve watched this video countless times since its release, great analysis and your voice soothes my headaches before bed.
This video was amazingly beautiful, perfectly edited, and your voiceover work could not have been better! Bravo my friend, bravo.
Please do a similar analysis of Promise by Ben Howard
yes wow I would love that
Jacob Canlas would love that! Promise is so complex, yet so simple.
“Darlin’ to ya’
Who am I?”
“I come alone here”
About life and death, and what’s between.
Love, love, love Bon Iver, this song is one of the most beautiful songs ever written, makes me howl and ache for something long gone yet hopeful, joyful of future magnificence indeed.
I remember i discovered your channel not that long ago and you didn't have many subs nor that many views. I return here some months later and bam! you are growing! I wish you so much luck, i've seen the effort you put in your videos. Congratulations!!
I'm loving these song analysis videos. Keep 'em up.
BEN HOWARD
he is one of the best songwriters that I have listened to
I love atmospheric music like this.
I love your videos! The editing, your voice, the content (your words). Your videos give deeper meaning to things (music, film, etc.) that I already enjoy.
why is your editing so BEAUTIFULLY done
Could you do Inside Llewyn Davis by the Coen brothers?
Amazing video as always btw.
KENDRICK LAMAR
(great vid as always though) if anyone is interested, we do similar analysis, started recently so lots to learn
I second this
beat me to it
I third this.
yessssss
+Butt Soup Muahah, you're in the great game now
I come back here once in a while.
Great video
I've been subscribed to you over a year just because of this video. I've found everything you've posted to range from interesting to brilliant. Thank you. Deeply. Keep doing it.
that was so incredible, i wish you could do a breakdown of the full album
Cool, I highly recommend Steven Wilson, one of the very few musical genius of the last decades.
I'd love to see that video one day.
It'd be super cool to see a video about Trains. Maybe about how it combines traditional song structures with more nuanced, progressive elements to create such a magical atmosphere.
Get on it, Nerdwriter1
Cornelis Mollberger I'm backing this up 100%.
yes please
Evan, editing-wise this was by far your best video so far! 10/10 for the effects, transitions and overall design. Well played mate.
Great video, Evan! It's immensely inspiring to have you guide our view to something we know and love and look at it in a different way.
Would you be able to break down something by James Blake? A song of his or an album?
Bon Iver has even been on a song with him
They've actually done two songs together: Fall Creek Boys Choir and I Need A Forest Fire.
I don't know which one you meant, but you should look up the other one, they're both absolutely amazing. :)
zivkovicema3 I have listened to both, actually. Both very different songs. I need a forest fire is what i was referring to but in all honesty I prefer Fall Creek Boys Choir. It's intoxicating and strange, like sounds and music you didn't know your ears would touch. Blake's odd sound is like no other and I'm proud to say that he comes from my hometown.
Fall Creek Boys Choir is one of the most raw, bewitching songs I've ever heard. One of those songs you unconsciously look for in other music, like an ex lover.
StrangerToEarth You put it beautifully :)
Dom-Vito Mercaldi Nope you're right! That's him.
Your cinema video essays are great.
The rest of this is a pretentious cringe.
Not hating, genuine opinion.
I find it pretentious that you find this pretentious
I wouldn't say they're pretentious, but I do think some of them are just average and very forgettable (e.g The Office essay). His Bob Dylan and Picasso ones were fantastic, he should analyse more art and philosophy like he used to, but I think he is just trying new things at the moment.
I imagine people who like this kinda stuff feel that the movie essays are pretentious also, two sides to a coin I guess
+Arbogurl does that make me pretentious too
What makes this pretentious?
I love revisiting already watched Nerdwriter video essays. Thank you!
Absolutely love this breakdown. This has always been my favorite song, so thank you for answering all of the questions I never knew I had about it.
When I tell you guys I love this song. I mean I LOVE this song.
God. I love Bon Iver. Holocene is one of my favorite songs. What a wonderful analysis!
Nerdwriter is just the man. It's like he's taken most of my favorite art from my favorite mediums. Every time i'm blown away. Good on ya, thanks for the great content :)
every video i come too is just amazing as the next, love your content and become one of my favourite channels!
I love Bon Iver. So excited for the new album.
You should do Victoria, the 2015 German film, it would make a great video essay
Btw love Holocene, your choices keep surprising me! (in a gud way)
Victoria is great film
Victoria was one of the best movies of 2015 in my opinion
Ugh Victoria is not a good film. It totally blew all it's great potential in the second half making it an immensely disappointing experience to watch.
+Daniel Mu Why didn't you like the 2nd half?
The film started out strong, very strong indeed. It felt very authentic in the way it portrayed human interaction in a situation like the one set up. The film gets the little things right, how people behave and talk. As someone fluent in German I could appreciate the little details they put into crafting the dialogue that felt so real and refreshingly unglamourized, so unlike anything we see from Hollywood. Victoria works best when it's focusing on the characters and the intimacy between them. The film felt so authentic, the characters so subtly detailed that I felt like observing real people on a night out. This is where the camera work and technique add to the realism of the film making it even more fascinating to watch. But then unfortunately the film decides to take a turn by incorporating a totally unnessecary cliché gangster/ heist plot, shattering all the authenticity it so meticulously built up in the first half. The characters started to make cringe inducingly moronic decisions that felt out of place and unearned, only serving the purpose of driving the story forward. This is also when the film falters at it's own logistics. While the single take approach in the beginning had a clear purpose in adding realism to the story, it quickly became no more than a cheap gimmick as it was no longer warranted by the story.
I just wish they would have focused on a smaller more intimate story that highlighted the characters that they so beautifully set up in the beginning.
You should do more of these. It's simply beautiful and has become one of my favorite TH-cam videos ever.
I love the way that the Nerdwriter opens the door into art that I otherwise may not have immediately taken to. Just lovely.
Perhaps my favourite song.. thank you !
Okay.. I'm not smart enough for this shit..
lol I pretend that I'm understanding
same
he's not saying much. just that the song sort of maybe might be exploring contrasting ideas like clarity and vagueness and might sort of kind of maybe also be exploring that mysterious place where ideas come from altogether. the music might help unlock something universal? I think overall he's communicating how this song makes him feel.
Micoola I tried nodding in compliance.. until I went cockeyed..
Louis Cyfear He has a way of talking that makes anything he explains seem legit
I really love when you venture into music analysis. It's excellent.
One of the most beautiful music I have ever listen! Always made me teary and remind me the loved one I lost and to tell myself that it's ok to cry and feel low sometimes!
IT'S PRONOUNCED BONNIE VAIR??? I've been saying Bon Eye-ver for years...
+AlmostMyself I knew a girl who pronounced it that way too. I'm surprised you never heard anyone saying his name before now. He has been around and well known for about 8 or 9 years.
Justin Vernon himself said that it's pronounced either way. I've always pronounced it Bon-eye-ver
"bon ee-vair", emphasis is on the O and E.
it would actually be Bon ee-vair, if you're going for the french pronunciation, i hear a lot of Americans say it like Boney vair. But there's not obligation to use the french pronunciation, and i think a lot of people find that its sounds a bit pretentious to do the french accent.
When you realise that it means - good winter 😱
People calling the video and the creator pretentious - What's pretentious is you joining the contrarian tirade of dissing what is the one of the initial few people to present the analysis of various art forms SIMPLY rather than the thousands of written reviews that forget the most important part of analyzing art - Emotion. The title of the video is not "Review of the Song Holocene". Sorry to sound attacking but people shouldn't be contrarian for the sake of being contrarian.
First, that vocabulary just makes you sound pretentious.
Second, Spot. On. The video is about _emotion_, what it _feels_ like instead of the boring instrument-this instrument-that music theory. It's a normie's take on dissecting a song by what the overall feel is, not the individual parts, which most people here missing that point.
Ugh, you relentless pretentious hipsters, just shut the fuck up
@@b.jr.7816 eat shit nerd
dude, your editing skills are off the scale good. The sound mixing in this was freaking fantastic.
This is my all time favorite song. It’s an absolute masterpiece, just like everything else he’s made. I truly, cannot describe my love for his music. It simply can’t be put into words, I just feel at ease when I listen to him.
Sometimes Nerdwriter doesn't make any sense! It's like Holocene itself, sometimes his ideas are clear and sometimes it is just confusing!
He's just saying that the song captures the mood of memories, sometimes clear, sometimes nonsensical, but always a bit ghostly.
Godzeno, I must agree with you when talking about this video. To me it looks like he is saying a lot, without any explanation to what he really means. Later today I will watch this video again, but right now it looks like he makes statements, like 'he uses his guitar for the rhytm', but then Nerdwriter doesn't explain how he thinks Vernon does that in this song.
+godzeno Yah, I thought this was his least coherent video to date. Kinda sounded like he was talkin shite! I think he and Justin Vernon are amazing by the way.
There's a level of invention to any kind of artistic analysis. The way nerdwriter breaks down this piece isn't necessarily a reflection of the intention the artist put into it, but it does show what kind of meaning and symbolism the listener can take away from the piece. The problem with such critique and analysis is that the reviewer often treats what they see in a work as the objective quality and message of that work. That's how you get people trying to make Lord of the Rings an analogy for world war 1, even thought Tolkien explicitly said how much he hates analogies.
'Needlessly pretentious', would be another way to state it.
This is what I sound like when I'm trying to BS my way through a paper that's due the next day without having read the book that I'm supposed to be writing about.
Every video is great in its own right, but it is videos like this that remind me why I'm supporting the channel.
This blew my mind. Thanks man.
Man, I've been on TH-cam for a long time and over the last year I've watched this channel slowly turn into the best I've seen on on this site. Keep up the great work Evan. Thanks for your content.
You're like Vsauce for movie, music and literature
tbh the narration in this video drowns in its use of metaphor and the message gets kind of lost.
i think he's trying to complement the themes/ mood of the song, but yea i agree it got kinda convoluted
Yeah sometimes i don't really understand what he's trying to say
Felt like theres sophistication in his use of words but I'm on the confines of simplicity
Nevertheless i still love his channel he focuses on angles on a particular topic i never thought of
Keep it going nerdwriter 👍
I thought he was very clear. Perhaps there's an issue on the receiving end, rather than in the content being received.
+Wilfred Godfrey: That's a sweet way to say I'm an idiot, thanks. Fuck you too.
Running thru the video again, here's my gripes in chronological order:
- It's not that weird to start a song with a fingerpicked guitar. It's a common way to set a somber mood.
- He's reading *way* too deep into this title. I don't think Vernon set out to make it an "unbreakable piece of art" when he named it "Holocene"
- Yes, the trumpet and sax are known to be solo instruments (though certainly not the French horn), but they're also commonly used as ambient/rhythm instruments.
- Wow. He uses so much unnecessary wordplay when he explains the lyrics/theme it makes me want to barf. In my og comment, perhaps I meant to use "wordplay" rather than "metaphor." My bad. But still, it's just so unnecessarily abstract here
- "Somehow, I feel close to the terrain." What? More unnecessarily abstract wordplay.
Das it. I love the Nerdwriter. I get notifications once a new vid comes out and I watch it immediately. However, I just felt this wasn't his best. Too much abstract wordplay that drowns the message. It's like he was trying to stretch out his words to fit a word count (which might more or less be the case here, in a way). Again, love Nerdwriter, but not a great video this time.
I disagree. The only thing that may throw people off is the
attempted focus on the technical aspects behind the song,
and then the shift of focus towards the mood/message of the song (even though I think its smart to include both as its obviously connected - one delivers the other).
What he basically explained is how Bon Iver used instruments to deliver the 'feel'.
The ending makes perfect sense to me - he is saying that this
is a personal expression of the artist and his memory.
However, the quality of the song comes from the emotions it gives. I believe that's why people like to get philosophical around ambiental music, it just allows you to create your own meaning and "feel close to the terrain".
you talk about things that are both thought provoking, and important. you discuss things that make my world go round, and for that, i thank you.
My favorite channel featuring my favorite song. This video is everything.
My favourite track off the album.
How Filthy Frank Creates A Cake.
I loved this video. Not only was the analysis eye opening, but the vocabulary you used to analyse the song, "contours", "maps", it mirrors the aesthetic of the song beautifully.
Amazing editing in this video, one of your best I think!
The guitar sounds kinda like in 'Dear Prudence' by The Beatles.
Or cry baby cry on the same beatles album. Very John Lennon like
HOLY SHIT, YOU PUT IT IN WORDS
Hey man, just wanted to say I just discovered your videos tonight and I love them, especially the ones concerning music. I think you really nailed what Vernon does in Holocene, it certainly helped me understand it better. Thanks for the enjoyment found in learning new things!
so well put together. amazing job
Hi Evan! Big longtime fan here. Such a cool video, as always! Just a few tiny corrections from a fellow musician:
- you mention the acoustic guitar in the beginning of your video, which is indeed exactly what is being played (an acoustic, steel-string guitar). However, the picture you included is of a classical (nylon-string) guitar - which is a great instrument, but not what is being played.
- I disagree that fingerpicked acoustic guitars do not usually carry the rhythm: "fingerpicking" consists mainly of playing repetitive arpeggio formulas one after another, and arpeggios are by definition a rhythmical sequence of notes that belong together in a chord.
That being said, this video is just as great as the rest of your content. Thank you so much for everything and hope to see a lot more videos from you soon!
Mircea :)
(a classical guitarist)
I've been listening to Bon Iver for a long time, and the one thing I have never done while listening to him is try to pick apart his music and how it's composed. It sounds to me like a delicate soup, and I just want to swim in it without much consideration as to what "it" is. However, this is a great dissection of an excellent song.
im so glad you did this video, wow. it's incredible how many people can relate to that song, it's pure magic
I could listen to you deconstruct music, are, and movies for hours. You've got an enchanting voice.
Make a video on Walker Texas Ranger
Maybe do some more modern music. I would love for adults to start understanding some of the greater musical pieces of our time. Obviously I'm not talking about the music on TV and radio but some of the popular stuff online. Like a lot of people say Kendrick Lamar, sure why not? It'd be really awesome if you did something a bit more out of the ordinary from time to time. You do it with movies...
Holocene is only about 4 years old, it's pretty new music, Bon iver is actually a collaborator with Kanye west on some of kanyes best songs
+Ethan Henderson oh ok, sorry i don't follow Bon Iver. Then i better shut up...
That was so good. Thanks for this. Seriously the best thing I've seen on TH-cam in a long long while.
Dude made me like my favorite song even more than I already did. Didn't think it was possible! Keep up the good work!
This is a comment.
this is a reply
this is not a pipe
This is a reply to a reply to a comment.
This is the way the world ends...
This is deja vu all over again.
I need one of these videos for some of Tools songs :)
this was incredible, i've known this song for years. you really put what i feel with holocene into words ily
such a well editted and great explanation of a interesting and contempory topic