22, A Million
22, A Million is the third studio album by American indie folk band Bon Iver, released on September 30, 2016. 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. "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. "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. 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." 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. 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". 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." 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. Track listing. Sample credits