Wisconsin’s Bon Iver, ostensibly the project of solo singer-songwriter, Justin Vernon released their fifth studio album SABLE, fABLE, split between the earnest acoustic ballads on the first half and blue-eyed soul on the second half. The lyrics, which are largely romantic and optimistic, form a 180 with the heartbroken and tragic bard of the debut album.
On the former, Vernon harks back to the For Emma sound on the rustic Speyside and to the Fleet Foxes on the autumnal Things Behind Things Behind Things. Unfortunately, the tracks have little to no arrangement or notable composition elements despite the intimate lyricism.
The fAble side showcases more creative impetus and is clearly sequential with the previous record, I, I. It indulges in a similar trick of taking a rather simple pop-soul ballad and derailing it through disorienting effects. His falsetto shines in the lively gospel-derived Everything is Peaceful Love and especially the passionate and driving From, with support from Michael Todd Gordon (Mk.gee). Dijon and Flock of Dimes contribute to the twitchy Princeian Day One. The chipmonked chorus of Walk Home recalls the 22, A Million era. The duet with Danielle Haim, If Only I Could Wait is a sort of linear track where the melody repeats, escalating until the two voices overlap beneath dramatic strings. The slow loungey There’s a Rhythm closes the album with a simple yearning keyboard melody.
This is undoubtedly the most instantaneous music Vernon has ever made. It is certainly possible to appreciate these songs for what they are, a modern update on the pop-soul format of the 1980s. However, its hard to ignore the fact that this is a clear regression from the sophisticated and cryptic arrangements of I, I and 22, A Million. The record marks a clear shift of emphasis from Vernon away from the arrangement and towards the melodies and lyricism, which truth be told have never been anything special. Vernon appears to neglect that the animating element of his previous 4 albums was in the production and arrangement. Few tracks on the second side achieve the magic of a Naeem or 29 Strafford Apts (Perhaps only Day One and From).
Label: Jagjaguwar
Released: April 11, 2025
Losing My Edge Rating: 6/10
Best Tracks: Day One, From