Album: Bon Iver - SABLE ƒABLE

With a sound that's instantly recognisable, Justin Vernon – known as Bon Iver - continues to astonish. Purveyor of wonder, sculptor of enchanting sounds, he treads a miraculous path between melancholy and joy and has established himself as one of the great voice of contemporary indie pop.

His new album built on the EP Sable, which he has supplemented with new material, further explorations of love, a search for identity whose mixture of innocence and wisdom steers well clear of self-indulgence. From his first album, For Emma Forever Ago (2007), recorded in solitary retreat, he has made a virtue of hesitation, never sounding certainties, but in constant search, a vulnerability incarnated in lyrics and sound, with which anyone can relate. The song "Speyside" echoes earlier material, with a tentative guitar intro and self-effacing lyrics.

In the songs that follow, starting with “Awards Season” the wounded male voice that he’s made so much his own, is multitracked and treated with varying degrees of reverb that serve to both express the doubt and pain, and yet transcend it with an endlessly surprising series of musical shifts - including a typical brief and haunting distorted sax break.

Vernon, supported by co-producer Jim E-Stack knows how to build drama in his little jewels of song – most of which end abruptly, leaving the listener yearning for more. With “Short Story” we plunge into a wonderland of sounds, the kind of rich and layered soundscape that glitters when heard under the influence of consciousness-altering substances, a tradition of creative mind-messing that reaches back to the early days of psychedelia. This music is a trip!  “Everything is Peaceful Love” a gentle feelgood tune in which the honeyed sound of Greg Leisz’s steel guitar is matched by the otherworldly pulse of a morphagene, one of many digitally versatile instruments that enhance the album.

“Walk Home” is a mesmerising slow-mover, driven a sleazy and very low-register bass, and a near-demented vocorder track, in conversation with Vernon’s soft and emotional voice. His high tenor recalls Smokey Robinson, Prince and other gospel infused vocalists. At the heart of Bon Iver ‘s sound, there is the cool and comforting joy of music that expresses the spirit, and feeds it too, in a positive feedback loop that Justin Vernon and his collaborators know just how to deliver.

From then on, the album just gets better and better, and bears repeated listening. “Day One” is pure pop ecstasy, Vernon joined by the sweet-voice of Dijon, and members of Flock of Dimes. The production is beautifully intricate, never too heavy, perfectly calibrated for maximum pleasure.  “If Only I Could Wait” is a small masterpiece, that unfolds as pure pop gold – laden with heart-warming reverb – once again, the wonderfully appealing hesitation that is so much Bon Iver’s trademark pulls one forwards inexorably. Vernon is joined by vocalist Danielle Haim, in harmony and counterpoint.  Another hit for sure.  Bon Iver have come up with some immensely appealing and highly original albums. With this new one, he has achieved something truly special, an album that will be hard to beat when it comes to selecting the greatest moments of the year.

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