More than five years have passed since Bon Iver’s last album, i, i, was released. It’s fitting, then, that the opening of this new indie-folk EP, “SABLE,” arrives like a siren, warning listeners of the intensity to come.
In the first full track, “Things Behind Things Behind Things,” a patter of percussion is preceded by a high-pitched cascade of minor-key fingerpicking. Frontman Justin Vernon’s natural baritone then restlessly announces, “I want that feeling/I want that feeling/I want that feeling/Gone.”
Emotions and reflections around nature, nostalgia, relationships and religion have long been at the heart of Bon Iver. The first time I heard her was her 2007 debut album, “For Emma Forever Ago,” recorded at her father’s hunting lodge in the woods of northwestern Wisconsin. A lot has changed since then, but despite a Grammy nomination, a world tour, and performances with stars ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Taylor Swift, Vernon has never been able to live up to his fame and the challenges that come with it. I’ve never felt comfortable with the pressure to live up to a certain persona that I’ve experienced. .
This is evident on “SABLE,” which features a droning intro and just three complete songs. Since releasing his fourth album, the complex and experimental i,i, in 2019, Vernon has only released a handful of singles and collaborations. The reason: According to a press release, he had to do some soul searching about whether he could be who he was. wanted to continue his career, what would it be like if he did.
“When I look in the mirror on a regular basis, I wake up / What I see there resembles some competitor,” Vernon laments in the opener, a song written during the pandemic. There is. There’s anguish in the crescendo as he sings about fear of change, then a more hopeful tone as the music eases down into the second song, “SPEYSID E.”
The opening line, “I knew it wasn’t going to work out / I wish I could go back and be right where you were standing,” sets the stage for a guilt-driven quest for forgiveness. Vernon is joined briefly by viola player Rob. Mousse, but otherwise it’s a back-to-basics man-and-guitar sound that fits his debut album well. There’s none of the falsetto that characterized “For Emma Forever Ago,” but the music and words mesh well together. It’s also a horrifying look, trying to restore something.
The only problem is that it doesn’t last. The final song, “Award Season,” is more of a poem than a melody. Although saxophonist Michael Lewis is present, it lacks the sonic richness that has characterized Bon Iver’s music. For Vernon, the reset is definitely complete. Hopefully for others too, there’s definitely more to come on 'SABLE'.
