22, A Million

Last updated
22, A Million
22, A Million cover.jpg
Studio album by
Bon Iver
ReleasedSeptember 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Recorded2012–2016
StudioApril Base (Eau Claire)
Genre
Length34:10
Label Jagjaguwar
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.

Contents

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]
Metacritic 87/100 [5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The A.V. Club B+ [7]
The Daily Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Entertainment Weekly B [9]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [11]
NME 4/5 [1]
Pitchfork 9.0/10 [12]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [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
PublicationAccoladeYearRankRef.
Mojo The 50 Best Albums of 20162016
16
NME NME's Albums of the Year 20162016
50
NPR Best 50 Albums of 20162016
5
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 20162016
9
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 20162016
12
The 20 Best Rock Albums of 20162016—
The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s2019
91
The Quietus Albums of the Year 20162016
88
Rolling Stone 50 Best Albums of 20162016
22
The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s2019
47
Rough Trade Albums of the Year2016
51
The Skinny Top 50 Albums of 20162016
3
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 20162016
15
Variance 50 Best Albums of 20162016
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 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"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

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for 22, A Million
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [61] Gold10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [62] Gold100,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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References

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