It's unclear whether or not Justin Vernon has seen "The Shining." But if he has, he seems to have missed out on the life lesson that, when faced with a problem, abandoning civilization for snowy wilderness is most likely not the answer.

After Vernon's band DeYarmond Edison split in late 2006, he left North Carolina to recuperate in a cabin in the frigid woods of northwestern Wisconsin, dividing his time between gathering firewood and crafting solo work. The record that came out of Vernon's time there is For Emma, Forever Ago, released under the moniker Bon Iver, a misspelling of the French phrase for "good winter." And if this haunting, delicate acoustic collection is any indication, his time there made him anything but a dull boy.

With Vernon's acoustic guitar and falsetto croons comprising most of the sound on the album, these songs come off as intimate and endearing - but also achieve the sonic texture bands with page-long lists of credits fail to create. Both "Lump Sum" and "Creature Fear" begin with a chorus of Vernon's multi-tracked voice that supports the light guitar strums that follow. The staggered entrances of three sets of voices give the effect of a chamber choir with enough reverb to heat any house. The quick, palm-muted strums set on top of the harmony emerge as more of a catalyst for the development of vocal melodies than boasting the pop sensibilities they carry individually. "Creature Fear," too, complements demure plucking with soft "ooohs" that quickly fade in to the lead vocal melodies.

For all the isolation that facilitated this debut, the many voices of Vernon allow for a more communal feel. And when layering tracks of folky guitars and airy vocal harmonies still leaves gaps, he knows what to add. Various noises of the house drift into the disc, from the buzzing metal of "Flume" to the clink of a chain-link fence closing on "Creature Fear" to the very creak of Vernon's voice. When simple noise won't suffice, Vernon tries his hand at other instrumentation. While the majority of the percussion is limited to tapping feet on the floor and hands on the guitar, Vernon adds drums in a few areas with mixed results. On "The Wolves (Act I and II)," guitars and voices build to the climax in which Vernon beats haphazardly on as many drums and cymbals as possible with no regard for rhythm. When the music cuts out, it sounds as if the entire set has been thrown down a flight of stairs. Some might complain that he stole the style from Animal of "The Muppet Show," but the arrhythmic muddle of crashes and thuds works well as an end to the growing commotion.

Thankfully, Vernon also knows when to refocus the spotlight on just the guitar and himself. "Skinny Love" relies on harsh, imperfect swipes at the guitar and unadulterated bitterness to create what becomes a surprisingly catchy song. Whereas the lyrics elsewhere stand out for their play with language and sonic elements, the list of demands and disappointments is quite clear in the chorus of "Skinny Love" ("And I told you to be patient / And I told you to be fine / And I told you to be balanced / And I told you to be kind / ... / I'll be holding all the tickets / And you'll be owning all the fines"). It escalates as the beat is accented by assorted claps and stomps until Vernon's voice breaks between warm falsetto and mild shrieking.

Vernon has since returned from his reclusion and 12-hour recording sessions, but fortunately, For Emma, Forever Ago came back with him. Dressed in many layers or otherwise, Bon Iver's debut is - by definition and by sound - good winter music.

4-1/2 Stars

Bon Iver

For Emma, Forever Ago

Jagjaguar