22, A Million
Studio album by
Bon Iver
ReleasedSeptember 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Recorded2012–2016
StudioApril Base (Eau Claire)
Genre
Length34:10
LabelJagjaguwar
Producer
Bon Iver chronology
iTunes Session
(2012)		 22, A Million
(2016)		 I, I
(2019)
Singles from 22, A Million
  1. "22 (Over Soon)" / "10 dEAThbREasT"
    Released: August 15, 2016
  2. "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.

Background

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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.5/10[4]
Metacritic87/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
The A.V. ClubB+[7]
The Daily Telegraph[8]
Entertainment WeeklyB[9]
The Guardian[10]
The Independent[11]
NME4/5[1]
Pitchfork9.0/10[12]
Q[13]
Rolling Stone[14]

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]

Accolades

Critical accolades received by 22, A Million
Publication Accolade Year Rank Ref.
Mojo The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
16
NME NME's Albums of the Year 2016 2016
50
NPR Best 50 Albums of 2016 2016
5
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
9
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
12
The 20 Best Rock Albums of 2016 2016 —
The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s 2019
91
The Quietus Albums of the Year 2016 2016
88
Rolling Stone 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
22
The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s 2019
47
Rough Trade Albums of the Year 2016
51
The Skinny Top 50 Albums of 2016 2016
3
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
15
Variance 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
5

Commercial performance

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]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Alternate titleLength
1."22 Over Soon"Justin Vernon22 (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"Vernon715 - CRΣΣKS2:12
4."33 'God' "Vernon33 "GOD"3:33
5."29 Strafford Apts"
  • Vernon
  • Burton
29 #Strafford APTS4:05
6."666 Upside Down Cross"Vernon666 ʇ4:12
7."21 Moon Water"
21 M♢♢N WATER3:08
8."8 Circle"
8 (circle)5:09
9."45"
  • Vernon
  • Lewis
____45_____2:46
10."00000 Million"
  • Vernon
  • Lewis
 3:53
Total length:34:10

Sample credits

Personnel

  • 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

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for 22, A Million
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[61] Gold 10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] Gold 100,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Cooper, Leonie (September 27, 2016). "Bon Iver – 22, A Million Review". NME. Archived from the original on September 28, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Sacher, Andrew (30 September 2016). "Bon Iver reinvents himself again with the masterful '22, A Million' (stream it)". Brooklyn Vegan. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  3. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (August 12, 2016). "Bon Iver Announce New LP '22, A Million,' Unveil Two Tracks". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  4. ↑ "22, A Million by Bon Iver reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Reviews for 22, A Million by Bon Iver". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 30, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  6. ↑ Sendra, Tim. "22, A Million – Bon Iver". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 30, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  7. ↑ Arroyo, Steven (September 30, 2016). "Bon Iver processes success with symbolism on 22, A Million Review". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on September 30, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  8. ↑ McCormick, Neil (September 30, 2016). "Bon Iver's 22, a Million is bonkers, baffling – and beautiful". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  9. ↑ Brown, Eric Renner (September 29, 2016). "Bon Iver's 22, A Million: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  10. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (September 29, 2016). "Bon Iver: 22, A Million – the downsides of success never sounded so good". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 29, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  11. ↑ Hooton, Christopher (September 30, 2016). "Bon Iver, 22, A Million review: An astonishing record that grapples with the infinite". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2016-09-30. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  12. ↑ Petrusich, Amanda (September 30, 2016). "Bon Iver: 22, A Million". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 30, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  13. ↑ Lynskey, Dorian (November 2016). "Mission Statement". Q (365): 100.
  14. 1 2 Hermes, Will (September 28, 2016). "Review: Bon Iver's 22, A Million Brings Futurism to Justin Vernon's Cabin". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 29, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  15. ↑ Tabakis, Peter (September 23, 2016). "Review: Bon Iver, 22, A Million". Pretty Much Amazing. Archived from the original on September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  16. ↑ Bridgewater, Paul (September 26, 2016). "Bon Iver's 22, A Million captures personal crisis and resolution better than any album this century". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Anima ex Machina". No Depression. Archived from the original on 2022-02-01. Retrieved 2022-02-01.
  18. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Mojo. November 22, 2016. Archived from the original on November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  19. ↑ "NME's Albums of the Year 2016". NME. November 24, 2016. Archived from the original on July 23, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Best 50 Albums of 2016". NPR. December 5, 2016. Archived from the original on December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  21. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Paste. November 30, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  22. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Pitchfork. December 13, 2016. Archived from the original on December 13, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  23. ↑ "The 20 Best Rock Albums of 2016". Pitchfork. December 7, 2016. Archived from the original on December 9, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  24. ↑ "The 200 Best Albums of 2010s". Pitchfork. October 8, 2019. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  25. ↑ "The Quietus Albums of the Year 2016". The Quietus. December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  26. ↑ "50 Best Albums of 2016". Rolling Stone. November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on November 29, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  27. ↑ "50 Best Albums of 2016". Rolling Stone. December 3, 2019. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  28. ↑ "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. November 14, 2016. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Top 50 Albums of 2016". The Skinny. December 1, 2016. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  30. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Stereogum. December 1, 2016. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  31. ↑ "50 Best Albums of 2016". Variance Magazine. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  32. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (October 9, 2016). "Solange Scores Her First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'A Seat at the Table'". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Bon Iver – 22, A Million". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Bon Iver – 22, A Million" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bon Iver – 22, A Million" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bon Iver – 22, A Million" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Bon Iver Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Bon Iver – 22, A Million". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bon Iver – 22, A Million" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  40. ↑ "Bon Iver: 22, A Million" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Bon Iver – 22, A Million". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bon Iver – 22, A Million" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  43. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 41, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Bon Iver – 22, A Million". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  45. ↑ "Charts.nz – Bon Iver – 22, A Million". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  46. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Bon Iver – 22, A Million". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  47. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Bon Iver – 22, A Million". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  49. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Bon Iver – 22, A Million". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  50. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Bon Iver – 22, A Million". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  51. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Bon Iver – 22, A Million". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  52. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  53. ↑ "Bon Iver Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  54. ↑ "Bon Iver Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  55. ↑ "Bon Iver Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  56. ↑ "Bon Iver Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  57. ↑ "Bon Iver Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  58. ↑ "Bon Iver Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  59. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2016 Albums". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  60. ↑ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 11, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  61. ↑ "Danish album certifications – Bon iver – 22, A Million". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 18 June 2019. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2019 to obtain certification.
  62. ↑ "British album certifications – Bon iver – 22, A Million". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
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