Bon Iver’s luminous portrait: “SABLE, fable”

When one’s mastery of melancholy is celebrated for years, it’s difficult for one’s bliss to feel anything but trite. And yet, indie folk frontman Justin Vernon of band Bon Iver manages to fortify his sonic character with new depth following the release of his two-part record, “SABLE, fABLE” (April 11). 

Vernon released Bon Iver’s debut record, “For Emma, Forever Ago,” in 2007 which launched the group into the limelight. The subsequent release of the group’s eponymous album “Bon Iver” (2012) emboldened its status with widespread adoration and a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. Bon Iver released two more albums, “22, A Million” (2016) and “I,I” (2019), both recipients of critical acclaim. 

Vernon is a bigwig in the music industry, collaborating with artists such as Taylor Swift and Kanye West. To the public eye, he has remained unwavering in the heights of artistic and popular success.

But according to his website and the track breakdown for “SABLE, fABLE,” Vernon struggled with playing “the part” of Bon Iver, especially when his creative project had turned into a character archetype and way of being. The first portion of the album was released last fall. “SABLE,” a word meaning a dark brown color and represented by the smaller portion of the album cover, chronicles Vernon’s process of healing, an unraveling of pent up gloom into a bridge that ushers listeners into a more hopeful second half of the album. 

“Everything Is Peaceful Love,” the second track on the latter portion of the album, sounds like the song Bon Iver — architect of some of the saddest songs of the 21st century like “Skinny Love” and “For Emma” — might make. 

“Everything Is Peaceful Love” overflows with fluctuant joy. Vernon hones in on the uncertain element of love, the decisions that face all listeners at some point in their romantic lives. He grapples with a willingness to give into a new relationship, wondering if it is going to “hang around.” Vernon sings in the chorus, “But damn if I’m not / climbing up a tree / right now / And everything is peaceful love / And right in me.”

Here, Vernon surrenders to love through an action, suggesting another possible definition for the first portion of the album. Sable is not just a color, though. Sables are also small mammals proficient in climbing. The repeated chorus of “Everything Is Peaceful Love” with the tree imagery reflects Vernon’s willingness to engage with the darker parts of himself and actually facilitates deeper relationships with others. 

He ends “Everything Is Peaceful Love” with the lyrics, “And I know that someday you may / change someway / I couldn’t rightly say / That’s for parting ways.” These lines act as a final admittance to the possibility of change and endings, but does not allow room for that variability to hinder the potential for connection. 

“fABLE” is a sprawling outreach of clarity and newness for Bon Iver, represented by the salmon-colored perimeter of the album cover. It keeps Vernon’s aura intact, one rich with complex production and glimmering brass, but it also adds a layer of lyrical dimension his discography hasn’t seen yet. Motivated by a new sense of purpose and meaning, “fABLE” is a collection of pop songs like “Walk Home” and ballads like “If Only I Could Wait” with Danielle Haim. 

The first song of the album is an instrumental track titled “...”,setting the stage for Vernon to tackle over the nine songs. The album ends with another instrumental track, “Au Revoir.” These act as intentional resting places for the listeners to mark the complete experience. You start in the dark, squared center and with each song, broach the larger pink border that encompasses the former. Even in the album artwork itself, Iver promises a wealth of positive experiences in “fABLE” beyond the engulfing, luminous nature of “SABLE.” 

“SABLE, fABLE” is a holistic portrait of where Justin Vernon — and by extension, Bon Iver — is in the modern age. Audiences have looked to him for years to chronicle the shadows, the deep bouts of grief, and the pain of longing. And now, they can look to him for much more than that.