Culture Crash: Bon Iver Breaks The Pattern In His Newest Album

Bon Iver singer-songwriter Justin Vernon has always been known for his forlorn music. His first album, For Emma Forever Ago, was famously the product of Vernon shuttering himself up in a Wisconsin cabin to explore his heartache and feelings of dissatisfaction. Since the album’s release in 2007, songs like “Skinny Love” and “Re:Stacks” have soundtracked many depressive episodes and cry sessions around the world.

And the first four tracks of Bon Iver’s newest album Sable, Fable, follow suit, seeing Vernon in a reflective and yes, downcast mood. And then disk two of the album begins, and the Bon Iver project steps in to a world of positivity and joy. On “Short Story,”  the first track of the “Fable” portion of the album, Vernon sings “January ain’t the whole world/and falling’s really over shown/and you’re never really, really on your own.”

Disk two of the Sable, Fable album also features two of my favorite Bon Iver songs ever released in “Everything is Peaceful Love” and “There’s a Rhythmn.” There is something truly magical about a musical act so known for its heartbreak and sadness break through that ice and deliver songs about being contented, being happy, and finding your own place in the world. 

Sable Fable may not have any songs of the summer in the traditional sense, as Bon Iver is unlikely to dominate the airwaves, but it has plenty of songs that would fit right in on a drive home after a day at the beach or on a lazy Sunday, cleaning up after a banging barbecue the night before. That’s because Bon Iver’s Sable Fable has the kind of music you can joyfully soundtrack your life to.