Allmusic: Though he can be praised for not just copying himself and trying to progress, to be honest, For Emma, Pt. 2 would have been far more satisfying than this overblown debacle.
Pitchf**k: Vernon has fully shifted into a more impressionistic mode; these songs are broader and more musically sophisticated than those on For Emma at every turn.
Rolling Stone: But Vernon is more than a bearded indie rocker with a taste for rural roots music. He’s a soul auteur, and he’s just getting started.
Guardian: Vernon’s focus has widened but his strange siren song is just as alluring.
Current Amazon rating: 4.5 stars
One of these things is not like the other. I find it interesting that Allmusic, ostensibly (I think) some stronghold of objectivity, went so bonkers on this record. Maybe they’re feeling irrelevant in the age of Pitchfork’s troll reviews and grad-school dropout prose, but they’re not supposed to be relevant. They’re supposed to be a long-term resource for content licensors who aren’t in the least bit interested in rocking the boat. And for record buyers who want to read reviews without the drama.
Or maybe this is just what happens when you think you know what someone’s doing — it’s not Justin Vernon’s fault that you couldn’t hit the curve ball. It’s not even that unexpected. There were plenty of hints of soul and R&B before; that’s what makes the debut so much more rich than a standard vaguely-electronic indie-folk bedroom (or cabin in the woods?) record.
Go get it, it’s fantastic.
