9.5/10
Bon Iver, aka Justin Vernon, has been one of the most well-respected artists not just in the world of indie music, but in all of music, for over a decade and a half. After a series of some of the most critically acclaimed albums of the past 20 years, the pressure was most certainly on for each of his successive releases. And that pressure did certainly not dissipate leading up to the release of his most recent project, SABLE, fABLE. Released in two parts, the first being the EP SABLE, released in October of last year, followed by the full LP SABLE, fABLE on April 11th of this year. Those two distinct sides implied by both the release schedule and the title being separated by a comma are certainly apparent within the musical substance itself.
The album begins with a singular note on the track “…”, flowing perfectly into the first actual track “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS”. With strong, emotional, and all-consuming vocals, Vernon explores topics related to his various struggles with mental illness: something that will continue to appear throughout the entirety of the album. More specifically, the experience of compounding mental issues, which subsequently consumed Vernon. This track, despite its grim themes, is able to be supported by an incredibly beautiful instrumental. A simple and somber one, yes, but a beautiful one nonetheless. A gorgeous, twingy guitar and a simple drum pattern pair perfectly both independently and in tandem with the overall tone of the song.
The next track is entitled “S P E Y S I D E”, which only furthers these themes of mental illness. Backed by an instrumental which I can only describe as reminiscent in nature, Vernon dives deeper into more specific aspects of his mental ailments, which cause his distress. More specifically, the feeling he is wrestling with is that he can’t stop making mistakes and is unable to fix them.
Additionally, the track “AWARDS SEASON” is all about the feeling of being overwhelmed. Opening the song with the line “I can handle way more than I can handle”, Vernon immediately sets the tone and establishes the core content of the track. With a line so simple and vague, yet so complex and universally understood, Vernon is able to completely encapsulate his feelings about pretty much all of his mental health issues. The track continues the discussion of these mental issues, making biblical allusions to further its themes. This track is the last of the first half of the album “SABLE”.
Following this, the second half, “fABLE,” begins immediately. Beginning with the song “Short Story”, the themes of “fABLE” are immediately in stark contrast to the first half. “Short Story” feels like waking to the sun rising and the birds chirping. Its climbing piano melody combined with the open strummed guitar chords makes for a glistening, warming feeling. Within the context of the album and the themes within, this song almost creates a feeling of being born again. Doubling down on this feeling, “Everything is peaceful love” is based on a simple and avant-garde instrumental, which supports the upbeat and reminiscent vibe partially established by the previous track. This track speaks lightly of Vernon’s feelings around love and resistance to the feeling. Specifically, the difficulty associated with resisting feelings for someone he is in love with.
Working in tandem: “Walk Home” digs into Vernon’s ideas around intimacy and dependency, which he equates to drug addiction. He expresses that being with someone who he loves allows him to escape from all of the problems that he expressed his feelings on in “SABLE.” “Day One”, the following track, is the most beautiful and grand track on the album in terms of instrumentals. Filled with creatively placed glitchy samples, gorgeous layered piano, and an overall consuming sound, this track creates an extraordinary atmosphere that feels almost like heaven. With infectious vocals from both Bon Iver and Flock of Dimes, this track is easily the most replayable and most technically interesting.
Following this, the track “From” integrates a very deep, twangy guitar into a track that has one of the most contagious choruses on the entire project. A very, almost out of place, jazzy section is added with the track “I’ll Be There”, and also comes complete with an incredibly ear-catching chorus. “There’s A Rhythm” creates the antithesis of “SABLE”. It is an incredibly honest, soft, calm, soothing, and comfortable instrumental. Vernon is content: he has left behind his mental issues, or at least partially moved on from them. Ending with the song “Au Revoir”, the album is left on a cold, yet calm and soothing note. It is almost the inverse of the first track “…”: instead of leading into a song which is somber and filled with despair, “Au Revoir” is led into by and is in and of itself optimistic in its sonic landscape.
Bon Iver, even through his avant-garde dual-album approach, still managed to pull through with an album that is clearly true to himself, his life, and is driven by immense passion. This album is incredibly human. It is a barrage of emotional turmoil and emotional discussion, which left me, and I feel would leave anyone with a conscience, distraught and emotionally shredded. In terms of where this album came up short, the examples are sparse. The only complaint one could have is slight repetitiveness. There are many tracks, which, by the nature of the album, tackle very similar or identical themes. I feel like there are a few tracks that could be slightly slimmed down, but none eliminated.
Fav Tracks: AWARDS SEASON, Day One, There’s A Rhythm
Least Fav Tracks: Walk Home, I’ll Be There
9.5/10
