Here’s a rundown of each track on the album Justin Vernon kept us waiting six years for.
Funnily enough, the debut Bon Iver album, For Emma, Forever Ago, feels like it actually came out forever ago. And it kind of did – 2007! So here we are, 18 years later, and that record, now a classic, has led us down a genre-mixing path to new music in the form of SABLE fABLE.
You may be familiar with the SABLE section, which dropped last October. Still, we’re going to recap that and dive into the companion piece, fABLE, to celebrate their combination – the new Bon Iver record.
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THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS
If you were trying to guess which Bon Iver you were going to get on this record, the opening track might make you think it’s the country-folk one. The glimmering guitars, a little pedal steel and bare, baritone voice feel like early cabin-bound Bon Iver (or even earlier than Bon Iver, back when things came out under Vernon’s own name). Bon Iver tells us, “I would like the feeling gone,” and we can likely settle in for another relatable, beautiful journey.
S P E Y S I D E
The folkiness gets even folkier on the next track and the voice shifts to a touch of the signature falsetto we all know and love. It’s bare bones but incredibly powerful. We may truly like how quirky and electronic Bon Iver can get, but sometimes it’s nice to be reminded of the pure talent this man offers with just a vocal and an acoustic. This track does that.
AWARDS SEASON
Vernon seems to be letting his voice do the talking on this record so far (yes, that’s what voices are for), but the stark and clear vocal on AWARDS SEASON is Vernon at his most bare. The vocal is strong yet gentle and paves the way for the soft introduction of harmonies and other instruments. When SABLE was standalone, this seemed like a sweet ender, but now it is more like an introduction to the rest of the album.
Short Story
The start of fABLE brings us into some very familiar Bon Iver territory – in a great way. Reminiscent of the more recent albums, Vernon brings in the synths, brass and vocoders in his signature controlled chaotic manner. It’s short, as the title suggests, but it’s fun.
Everything Is Peaceful Love
Things get a little R’n’B on the new single, a little more pop. It’s a bright and delightful attempt at what Bon Iver would be if there were a few more boys in the band, yep, a boy band. It may also be the album highlight just because of how catchy and sugary-sweet it is.
Walk Home
A laid-back beat and a high-pitched vocal sample bring in the other album highlight, Walk Home. This track actually feels like a great summation of all previous Bon Iver elements. It’s lush, romantic, melodic and groovy, all in one neat package.
Day One (feat. Dijon and Flock of Dimes)
The first of the albums’ duets arrives via the gospel-sounding Day One, which features R’n’B singer Dijon and indie-popper Flock of Dimes. The music sounds like one big sample; it has that New York summer in the streets feel about it, driven by melody and as experimental as it is simple.
From
Things come back to a more straightforward ’80s-tinged rock vibe on From. Vernon sings, “I can see where you’re coming from/ I’ve got time, I can give you some” against a driving beat before a big sing-a-long chorus. You can see the backing singers swaying in time with some kind of choreographed finger click on this one and they steal the show.
I’ll Be There
I’ll Be There may be the album’s sexiest track. It has swagger. It has groove. It has some cool glitches in the beat and it is all executed perfectly. If Prince was still alive, he would approve of this track.
If Only I Could Wait (feat. Danielle Haim)
Danielle Haim arrives for duet number two on a song that continues some of the groove from the preceding track. The keys set an inspirational stage from which Vernon and Haim croon their way through one of the better vocal pairings you’ve likely heard lately.
There’s A Rhythmn
A drum machine pulses and pops, while glimmering keys dance atop a two-chord sway. Vernon’s voice feels especially robust here, especially when the layered harmonies, drenched in reverb, come through for a stunning build. This track has a lullaby quality to it, sweet and serene, and the repetition – or “rhythmn”, one could say (and no, we don’t know why there’s an ‘n’ on the end) – coaxes the listener into a sense of calm.
Au Revoir
We end on an instrumental, which seems like a cool idea on a record that is so vocally driven. Au Revoir is a short, gentle, ambient piece that is a nice bow on a record that will be hard to rank in the Bon Iver discography, as it holds its own against some of his finest works.
To stream SABLE, fABLE in full, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Jagjaguwar.
