Justin Vernon made his debut as Bon Iver on an album that was famously recorded by himself in a remote cabin in Wisconsin in 2008. Since that time he has been purposefully distancing himself from that hermit persona and his new album, “Sable fable” is made up of songs that deal with the question of his identity. He’s happier now and it shows in the bright, vibrant sound of the new album
Many of the songs were released previously on two eps in late 2024 and this year and are more optimistic and less brooding than his previous work. His signature falsetto drifts through layers of synth textures and organic instrumentation that feels like a gauzy meditation on memory and myth.
Vernon has always been heavily into collaborating and there’s a couple of tracks that shine with him working with Flock of Dimes on one and Danielle Haim on the other. Their voices seems to spur his own into a higher level of intensity.
When the first ep of these songs came out last year many thought of it as a farewell to the music biz by Bon Iver, but now fleshed out to full length, his fifth album “Sable fable” is a perfect evolution of his sound; ancient, elusive and deeply introspective.