More than five years have passed since last album, 鈥渋, i鈥� was released, so it's fitting that the opening of this new indie folk EP, 鈥淪ABLE,鈥� arrives like a siren, warning the listener of some intensity ahead.
The pitter-patter of the percussion on the first full track, 鈥淭hings Behind Things Behind Things鈥� precedes a high-pitched cascade of minor-key finger picking. Then frontman Justin Vernon's natural baritone follows with a restless announcement, 鈥淚 would like the feeling / I would like the feeling / I would like the feeling / Gone.鈥�
Emotions and reflections around nature, , relationships and religion have long lived at the heart of Bon Iver 鈥� first heard on 2007's debut album, 鈥淔or Emma Forever Ago,鈥� recorded in his father's hunting cabin in the woods of northwestern Wisconsin. Much has changed since then, but for all world tours and features with a wide variety of stars from Bruce Springsteen to , Vernon has never felt comfortable with his fame or the accompanying pressure to fulfill a certain persona he has experienced.
That's evident on 鈥淪ABLE,鈥� made up of a droning intro and just three complete songs. Vernon has only released a handful of singles and collaborations since his fourth album 鈥� the complex and experimental 鈥渋,i鈥� 鈥� was released in 2019. The reason: According to a press release, he had some soul-searching to do about whether he wanted to continue his career and, if so, what it would look like.
鈥淚 get caught looking in the mirror on the regular / What I see there resembles some competitor,鈥� Vernon laments in the opener, a song written during the pandemic. There's anguish in the crescendo as he sings about a fear of change, then a more hopeful tone as the music softly winds down into the second track, 鈥淪 P E Y S I D E."
The opening line, 鈥淚 know now that I can鈥檛 make good / How I wish I could go back and put me where you stood," sets the stage for a guilt-driven plea for forgiveness. Vernon is briefly joined by violist Rob Moose, but it is otherwise a back-to-basics man-and-guitar sound that would've fit well on his debut album. There's none of the falsetto that set apart 鈥淔or Emma Forever Ago,鈥� but the music and word mesh well as a chilling expression of an attempt to restore something.
The only problem is it doesn't keep going. The final song, 鈥淎wards Season," is more poem than melody. Saxophonist Michael Lewis chimes in, but there's a lack of the sonic richness that has defined Bon Iver's music. For Vernon, the reset is surely complete. For everyone else, hopefully there's more to come. 鈥淪ABLE鈥� will undoubtedly leave Bon Iver fans wanting more.
Dave Campbell, The Associated Press
