2016 studio album by Bon Iver
22, A Million
Released September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30 ) Recorded 2012–2016 Studio April Base (
Eau Claire )
Genre
Length 34 :10
Label
Jagjaguwar
Producer
iTunes Session (2012)
22, A Million (2016)
I, I (2019)
"22 (Over Soon)" / "10 dEAThbREasT " Released: August 15, 2016
"33 "God"" Released: August 29, 2016
22, A Million is the third studio album by American
indie folk band
Bon Iver , released on September 30, 2016.
[3] 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.
22, A Million is composed of songs written and produced from 2012 to 2016. It makes extensive use of
samples ,
synths and
brass instruments . Many of the sounds on the record were created and manipulated using a
Teenage Engineering OP-1 synthesizer, along with a
harmonizer designed for the band by engineer and producer Chris Messina.
22, A Million received acclaim from critics, garnering a score of 87 out of 100 on
Metacritic , signifying "universal acclaim" based on 41 critic reviews.
[5] Writing for Pretty Much Amazing , Peter Tabakis praised the album in his review, giving it an A, and remarking, "Not since
Kid A has an album so superb pushed away and pulled closer its audience, simultaneously and with such aplomb."
[15] In his review for
Rolling Stone , Will Hermes opined, "Vernon remains an oblique lyricist, but the knottiness can be compelling." It gave it four stars out of five.
[14] Paul Bridgewater of
The Line of Best Fit awarded the record full marks, writing that "22, A Million captures personal crisis and resolution better than any album this century".
[16] Writing for
No Depression , John Amen commented that 22, A Million "integrates the high points of Bon Iver's first three recordings ... his most focused and ambitious permutation to date."
[17]
22, A Million debuted at number two on the
Billboard 200 with 71,000 units, of which 58,000 were traditional album sales. It was the highest-selling album of the week.
[32]
Title Writer(s) Alternate title 1. "22 Over Soon"
Justin Vernon 22 (OVER S∞∞N) 2:48 2. "10 Death Breast" 10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⊠ ⊠ 2:24 3. "715 Creeks" Vernon 715 - CRΣΣKS 2:12 4. "33 'God' " Vernon 33 "GOD" 3:33 5. "29 Strafford Apts" 29 #Strafford APTS 4:05 6. "666 Upside Down Cross" Vernon 666 ʇ 4:12 7. "21 Moon Water" 21 M♢♢N WATER 3:08 8. "8 Circle" 8 (circle) 5:09 9. "45" ____45_____ 2:46 10. "00000 Million" 3:53 Total length: 34:10
Sample credits
"22 Over Soon" contains a sample of "
How I Got Over (Live) ", as written by
Clara Ward and performed by
Mahalia Jackson .
"10 Death Breast" contains a sample of "
Wild Heart ", as written and performed by
Stevie Nicks .
"33 'God' " contains samples of "Dsharpg", as written and performed by
Sharon Van Etten , "Morning", as written by Willis S. Graham and performed by
Jim Ed Brown , "
Iron Sky ", as written by
Paolo Nutini and Dani Castelar and performed by Paolo Nutini, and "All Rendered Truth", as written and performed by
Lonnie Holley .
"666 Upside Down Cross" contains a sample of "Standing in the Need of Prayer", as written by Dave Kingsby and performed by The Supreme Jubilees.
"21 Moon Water" contains samples of "
A Lover's Concerto ", as written by
Denny Randell and
Sandy Linzer , and performed by
The Toys .
"00000 Million" contains a sample of "Abacus" as written and performed by
Fionn Regan .
Justin Vernon – "Maker", OP-1, guitar, Prophet, bass guitar, drums, M1, Messina
Chris Messina – "Maker's Maker"
BJ Burton – "Noble Black Eagle", C1 programming (track 6) , C2 programming (track 6) , saxophone (track 7) , programming (track 8)
Ryan Olson – "Scream Defence", MIDI capture piano (track 1) , sampler (track 7) , field recorder (track 7)
Camilla Stavely Taylor – "Trust Ear", voices (track 7)
Brad Cook – "Wings"
Zach Hanson – "Professional Mixer"
Mike Perry – "Neighbour"
Andra Chumas – "Mother Nourishment"
Rob Moose – "The Whisperer", violins arrangement (track 1) , violas arrangement (track 1) , saxophones arrangement (tracks 2, 5, 6, 8)
Cherie Minske – "Rookie"
Jack – "The Prospector"
Michael Lewis – "The Oracle", saxophones (tracks 1, 6, 7, 8) , Messina (track 9)
Drew – "Key's Grip"
Sad Sax of Shit – saxophones (tracks 1, 2, 4-6, 8)
Al Falaschi
Anthony Barba
Christopher Thomas
Clay Lyons
Clay Pufahl
Dustin Laurenzi
Mark Henderson
Matt Douglas
Nelson Devereaux
Peterson Ross
Scott Fultz
Michael Lewis
Andy Fitzpatrick – the 22000 (tracks 2, 7, 8) , OP-1 (track 6)
Joe "Squints" Westerlund – bowed cymbals (track 4)
Trever Hagen – prepared trumpet (track 4)
Chris Rosenau – electric and acoustic guitars (track 4)
James Buckley – bass guitars (track 6)
Sean Carey – drums (tracks 6, 8) , percussion (track 6) , DX7 (track 7)
Matt McCaughan – metal drum (track 6) , drums (track 8)
Andrew Broder – V3 programming (track 6) , audible programming (track 9)
Jessica Stavely Taylor – voices (track 7)
Elise Carey – voices (track 7)
Colin Stetson – saxophones (track 8)
Michael Vincent Vognar Noyce – voice (track 8)
Huntley Miller – mastering
Eric Timothy Carlson – art
^
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