04-04-19
In the discursive coda of Creature Fear Bon Iver whittles the song down to a single repeated syllable–Rarely does folk, indie or otherwise– give so much over to ambiance.
The faceless creature metaphor is one that is used by Bon Iver as well as countless other artists. It’s often an unknown threat which looms mysteriously, casting an air of ebbing risk yet never something which is fully realized. To me, the creature stands out more as a subconscious force. It’s the inner voice within us that we fight to keep at bay lest it gets loose and reveal its presence to others, placing ourselves in vulnerable and fragile positions. Instead, we spend our entire lives trying to master ways of masking ourselves from those around so that we hopefully can view in a more favorable light. This at its core is what I see “Creature Fear” to represent—the constant desire of our unadulterated subconscious evolving to break free of our own control and suffering, only to be pulled continuously back ourselves, relegated to self-imposed quarantine for fear of allowing the world to be witness to your own personal madness.
As the song continues to progress, we begin to surmise that the “Creature Fear” is starting to eat him alive, which may be represented by music portrayed in the following song Team.
Both tracks were released off of Bon Iver’s debut album, an album that was met with quick critical and fan appreciation launching him from dingy bars to concert halls within the span of only a few months. Since then much of Bon Iver’s, Justin Vernon’s life, has been using the new found creative freedom in delivering an honest representation of the sounds and emotions he experiences. Bon Iver is one of a handful of artists I have been fortunate enough to see and nearly every stage of their career. I went out to LA in August of 2008 to see him at the Troubadour, after hearing him growing through the indie-circuit the year prior. A year later in 2009, he was touring major concert halls often relegated for symphonies and orchestras, a few years later in 2011, he was headlining a tour for most major arenas in the country having grown to Grammy heights. By 2012 he was headlining the worlds largest festivals and has been at that height ever since.
When listening to these tracks on the album, the transition is slightly noticeable, but it feels natural…when witnessing these performed live, you can understand that there is much more emotionally layered within the confines of these two pieces and that together they are so much more than any single one track off the same album. For years it has grown to become one of the set closers, and there really could be no other way, the build-up of Team throughout Creature Fear isn’t noticeable on the record but is quite noticeable live. The resulting conclusion is an explosion of sound that does well to translate Justin’s angst as a relation to battling the “Creature Fear” present within himself. As far as surprising goes, I believe it’s in the live execution of this performance; listening through the album it definitely gives a “harder” sound, but nothing that goes against the Bon Iver grain, watching it live you would relate this melodic Indie-Rock band to a much “harder” progressive rock band that would rival some of the best. Having witnessed the rise of Bon Iver, I see the existence of these two tracks as a spyglass to what was to come from Justin Vernon, his yearning to create something vastly more significant than himself, a feat he has accomplished in spades.
Lyrics:
[Verse 1]
I was full by your count
I was lost but your fool
Was a long visit wrong?
Say you are the only[Chorus]
So many foreign worlds, so relatively fucked
So ready for us, so ready for us
The creature fear[Verse 2]
I was teased by your blouse
Spit out by your mouth
I was loud by your lowered
Seminary sold
Tear on, tail on
Take all on the wind on
The soft bloody nose
Sign another floor[Chorus]
So many territories, ready to reform
Don’t let it form us, don’t let it form us
The creature fear
So did he foil his own? Is he ready to reform?
So many Torahs, so many for us
The creature fear
2008
2009
2009
2012
2016
2016