Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (2008)

This is a very enjoyable, mellow album. Everything sounds heartfelt throughout this patiently, fine crafted collection of acoustic solitude. Primarily falsetto vocals are supplemented by an undertone of steady acoustic guitar and subtle sporadic snare and bass drumming... this gives the songs a beautifully captivating simplicity. For Emma is perhaps my favorite study/reading album that I have discovered so far this year—in the realm of Iron & Wine’s The Shepherd's Dog—and given the amount of time I spend studying, it may break into my favorite new albums overall.

For the uninitiated: "Blindsided," "Skinny Love," “For Emma”