Many fans of Bon Iver's era-defining 2008 album For Emma, Forever Ago eagerly awaited what sounded like a return to form with the release of "S P E Y S I D E" last year. The single's minimalist instrumentation and folkier tone harkened back to that lean classic LP, standing in stark contrast to more recent experimental Bon Iver projects, some of which had symbols for song titles and music that was equally challenging to scrutinize.
But just when Bon Iver hints at fan service, the project of the mysterious and distinct-voiced Wisconsin singer-songwriter Justin Vernon confounds us once again with his optimistic, R&B- and soul-indebted first album in six years, SABLE, fABLE.
First released as an EP last year, the opening SABLE side includes "Awards Season," whose climactic horns will spark memories of Bon Iver's lush 2011 self-titled sophomore album, except for the stretches that are naked a cappella, as Vernon sings straightforwardly into the yearning lovers' abyss. Sadly, his lyrics here fall short of the brilliant, briskly economic "S P E Y S I D E."
The yearning electric guitar swells of "Short Story" give way to distortion that's meant to enthral listeners with something new. That it does, and surprisingly so — because, when that song ends and fABLE kicks off, the breadth of Bon Iver's range quickly takes hold. Staticky distortion soon coalesces into a dreamy synth riff as Vernon sings earnestly about everything but rainbows and butterflies on "Everything Is Peaceful Love," a "Solsbury Hill"-like big swing.
The subsequent songs' melodies don't quite mug for the proverbial camera, but they're about as far removed from the stripped-down "S P E Y S I D E" as can be. They're also their own beast compared to the boldly audacious — but at times impenetrably indulgent — more recent Bon Iver albums like 22, A Million and i,i; catchy and open-hearted, stopping just short of corniness.
Fans will regardlessly swoon over the indie rock bonafides on display on collaborative tracks like "If Only I Could Wait," a misty and melodramatic back end track with HAIM singer Danielle Haim. The minimalist guitar fret squeals before the synths turn the track iridescent speak to Bon Iver's unpredictable multitudes in mere seconds.
"Day One" is equally endearing in this regard. Its buzzing gospel keys and guitars are paired with speak-singing lines from Vernon, preceded by preacher-to-the-choir yelps. The alleluia vibes are furthered by Dijon, and even more so by Flock of Dimes, the solo project of Jennifer Lynn Wasner, the Bon Iver band member who made a name for herself an era prior in Wye Oak. She holds notes until they sear, rhythmically zigging rather than harmonically zagging with Vernon in what amounts to a duet for the ages.
But Vernon can also hook you with melodies and raise your eyebrows with eccentric sonic twists all on his own: on album centrepiece "Walk Home," he distorts his vocals until they become a cross between the sped-up chipmunk soul samples of his 2010s collaborator Kanye West and the far more enduring, entrancing eeriness of Prince's "If I Was Your Girlfriend."
Then there's "From," whose all encompassing synths and saxophones will wash over listeners like the AM radio reverberations of Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" in the best possible way. That track's downcast accessibility won't shock fans nearly as much as the soulful vocals on "I'll Be There," which feel equipped to raise you to the rafters of a church meant not for repenting, but speaking-in-tongues-worthy ecstasy. Slick '70s-sounding keys and bass deepen the groove, as Vernon moans and wails like an indie rock Marvin Gaye.
Yes, it feels like the two halves of SABLE, fABLE are smushed together with little coherence, which is perhaps an apt mirror for how Bon Iver has gone from haunting folk, to the avant-garde vanguard, and now to vintage pop and soul. SABLE, fABLE won't just make your head bob — it'll also make you excited for Bon Iver's next inevitable curveball.