“For Emma, Forever Ago” is reminiscent of some distant time and place with the grass of endless prairie lands stretching out beyond the horizon and the forests of northern pine boldly sheltering the creatures upon its floor.

From the icy rivers and frozen lakes of northwestern Wisconsin comes the February 19 re-release of Justin Vernon’s debut album “For Emma, Forever Ago” under the moniker “Bon Iver.”

“For Emma, Forever Ago” abounds with the honest sorrow and quiet remembrances of a songwriter pouring out the weight of life.

In the winter of 2006, following the breakup of his former band DeYarmond Edison, Justin Vernon stole away to northwestern Wisconsin, where he spent several months in a hunting cabin. Within the shelter of his father’s cabin, a collection of recordings were made, nine of which appear as “For Emma, Forever Ago.”

Hidden away by the solitude of a snow covered landscape, the apparent influence of scenery shaped and formed the record’s subtle contrast and natural beauty.

The album’s opener, “Flume,” begins with the quiet strumming of a lonely guitar and builds layer upon layer of rich choral harmonies. An ambient segue of melody leads into the rhythmic and driving “Lump Sum.” Justin Vernon’s falsetto resonates with spirit and grace. On “Skinny Love,” the startling power and soulful phrasing of Vernon’s voice breaks forth, expanding in a robust crescendo.

With the conclusion to side A, “The Wolves (Act I and II),” Vernon settles into the recesses of his mind, recalling the past in a melancholy funeral dirge that ends in a spastic rush of chaos and noise.

“Blindsided,” the beginning of side B, takes on a more honest approach in its lyrical quality.

Driven by the lilting of wire brushes upon a loose snare drum, the dynamic rise and fall of “Creature Fear,” beckons a sense of confusion and entanglement. .

“Team,” the instrumental transition between “Creature Fear” and “For Emma,” distracts from the rest of the album, yet somehow the nervous pounding of drums and a steady bass line create a distance between the closing songs and the album’s beginning.

The addition of a horn section on the title track, “For Emma,” spurs the album on toward the finish in a playful dialogue between two characters complete with sparse narration.

The album’s culminating track, “re: stacks,” reads like a letter, confessing the secrets and revelations of a character that has weathered many storms.

“For Emma, Forever Ago” is reminiscent of some distant time and place with the grass of endless prairie lands stretching out beyond the horizon and the forests of northern pine boldly sheltering the creatures upon its floor.

As “Bon Iver,” Justin Vernon seems to borrow the forms and conventions of traditional folk music. Yet, his storytelling takes on more abstract forms, painting a landscape through the fragmented thoughts of a man not completely grasping the meaning of his own words.

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