8 Uses Of Auto-Tune That Are Actually OK

8. Bon Iver - Woods

A song regarded by Kanye West as a masterpiece, "The Woods" closed Bon Iver's 2009 EP "Blood Bank" and stands as an odd track in the singer's discography. Entirely acapella and chant-like in its circular repetition, it marked one of the clearest leaps forwards in the artist's career, straddling the gap between the shy folk singer and electronic auteur.

This strange slice of lonely rambling is made spectral and isolated by the vocal’s thick autotune, counterpointed with a reverb-soaked harmony line. The song is not only rustic (Vernon sings from "down in the woods") but ancient; the lyrics "I'm building a still to slow down the time" suggest that the singer is working on a more leisurely timescale. The auto-tune, then, offers an intriguing contrast between the ultra-modern production and the pastoral antiquity of the lyrics.