Bon Iver - SABLE, fABLE (Album Initial Thoughts)

I like how calm this is. Very different from the stuff I usually listen to.

It's gotten very good scores from critics on multiple forums. I sorta get why. The music of today always tries to stand out from the crowd by being different and even shocking. Some rely on complex song structures and constant changes (i.e. Sleep Token), some lean on shock factor (i.e. Kanye West). Not saying Sleep Token or Ye ain't talented, but for Bon Iver, the talent is enough. Their songs on this album are simple, but not boring. There are definitely a lot of artists and bands who DO play it safe and never experiment with their sound, and end up sounding boring, but Bon Iver are not boring. There's that something about them, you know, the X factor. 

When you have this many calm songs back to back, though, it leaves the overall impression a little dull.