At (2016) Justin Vernon traded his intimate folk for an experimental mix of electronics and autotune. Muziekweb then secretly hoped that he would shift more towards classical folk on his next album. With a title like i, i you initially expect difficult work, but on this fourth album by the band around Vernon a wonderful balance is found between experimental electronica and quiet folk. Once again
… the songs are built up like a broken mirror. Within a song the band easily goes from threatening to disarming (We). Or Sh'Diah (short for 'shittiest day in American history', a reference to the day after Trump was elected), a song that starts out bare but is chillingly sung by Vernon. Halfway through this song the music suddenly fans out and an emotional saxophone solo is started. These kinds of breaks or shifts are very nicely applied to this entire album. Although the album is full of ideas, i, i sounds compact and intimate. (JvQ)more
