Bon Iver, ‘SABLE, fABLE’ review: A distinct sense of endings
This album distils the appeal of Bon Iver perfectly, but there is also the sense that it could wrap up the story
Ever since his wintry debut album For Emma, Forever Ago in 2008, Justin Vernon’s Bon Iver project has been defined by the seasons. On 2011 follow-up Bon Iver, Bon Iver, he stepped into spring with a shimmering 80s rock sound, before summer (2016’s 22, A Million) saw him deconstruct this sound through glitchy electronics on his least traditional album.
With the open-hearted i,i in 2019, many assumed the Bon Iver project might come to an end with its final season, but the SABLE EP in late 2024 opened the door to a new era.
New album SABLE, fABLE is billed as an “epilogue” to the quartet of seasonal albums, and the nine new songs here (plus the three from SABLE) point towards a resolution to the devastating heartbreak that defined Vernon’s early work. It’s shown most clearly on ‘Everything Is Peaceful Love’, a song written in the glow of new romance and the most content the songwriter has ever sounded on record.
As it weaves in sonic elements of each of his albums by way of a tribute, SABLE, fABLE would also wrap up the Bon Iver story perfectly.
‘S P E Y S I D E’ is the most simple Bon Iver song since the For Emma era — it’s also one of the most beautiful. From there, ‘Walk Home’ employs the mangled vocal samples that defined 22, A Million but set against the lush 80s backdrop of Bon Iver, Bon Iver, while ‘I’ll Be There’ sounds like an old soul song but with some delightfully rough and dissonant edges. He also employs Danielle Haim and Flock of Dimes on ‘If Only I Could Wait’ and ‘Day One’ respectively to prove himself a surprisingly good duet partner.
Vernon closes the album with the instrumental ‘Au Revoir’, but there is a distinct sense of endings here, on an album that distils the appeal of Bon Iver perfectly.