Bon Iver w/ The Rosebuds

The critical success of Bon Iver's 2008 debut For Emma, Forever Ago threatened to forever pigeonhole Justin Vernon as that folk songwriter who recorded an album alone in the woods, but Vernon has challenged that stereotype with his many follow-up projects, from his soft-rock flirtations with Gayngs and his post-rock experimentations with Volcano Choir to his recent collaborations with Kanye West. Those form-breaking pursuits should have primed listeners for the shock of Bon Iver's second full-length, Bon Iver, Bon Iver, a more lavishly produced record rich with strings, horns and, in its closing half, Gayngs-styled nods to '80s soft rock. That might sound cluttered on paper, but the album breathes beautifully, and its songs are every bit as hauntingly unforgettable as For Emma's.