Atwood Magazine is thrilled to present our Editor’s Picks column, expertly crafted by Editor-in-Chief Mitch Mosk. Each week, Mitch will unveil a selection of songs, albums, and artists that have resonated with him. There's an abundance of fantastic music out there just waiting to be discovered, and all it requires from us is an open mind and a readiness to listen. Through our Editor’s Picks, we aim to highlight our own musical finds and feature a wide variety of new and recently released music. This week's selections include Bon Iver, Japanese Breakfast, Samia, Michael Marcagi, spill tab, and Djo!
**BON IVER - SABLE, fABLE**
Bon Iver has always infused soul into their music, but never quite like this. With their latest album, *SABLE, fABLE*, Justin Vernon and the band channel themes of love, healing, and human connection into a radiant and revolutionary reimagining. Brimming with warmth and spiritual rejuvenation, this fifth studio album takes listeners on a soulful, hopeful journey – weaving a luminous tapestry filled with intention, pleasant sound, raw intimacy, and bold sonic exploration. Tender and breathtakingly beautiful, *SABLE, fABLE* signifies a distinct rebirth for Bon Iver as they enter their 19th year. Both intimate and expansive, it reflects on past experiences and envisions future possibilities, all illuminated in golden light.
The tracks within *SABLE, fABLE* feel less like conventional compositions and more like offerings—vivid expressions of presence, compassion, identity, and catharsis that radiate with gentle grace and emotional immediacy. The mantra "everything is peaceful love" glimmers with serene joy and modest gratitude, while "there's a rhythm" vibrates with energy and awe, balancing intimacy and abstraction in true Bon Iver style. “day one,” featuring Dijon and Flock of Dimes, swells with wonder and rejuvenation, its swirling textures and expansive melodies encapsulating the essence of a new beginning.
If there’s a song that serves as the album’s emotional heartbeat, it’s “from” – a poignant exploration of empathy that presents love not as a spectacle, but as a steadfast presence. This breathtaking collaboration with mk.gee, Jacob Collier, Tobias Jesso Jr., and others elevates Bon Iver's sound into new emotional dimensions, as Vernon delivers a stirring meditation on perspective, gratitude, and self-worth shaped by love. The verses exude raw honesty and care, inviting listeners to take their time and find comfort. “from” embodies love in all its patience and grace, representing a rich emotional landscape.
**JAPANESE BREAKFAST - PICTURE WINDOW**
There’s a gentle devastation woven into Japanese Breakfast’s ethereal “Picture Window,” a song that feels as though it’s perpetually exhaling grief while pulling it back in. It serves as a sweet, ambient meditation on memory and loss, woven through a mesmerizing haze of synths and spectral harmonies. Songwriter Michelle Zauner navigates her own inner struggles while living alongside someone who is less burdened by those weights; she grapples with the contrast between her heavy heart and her partner’s lightness.
Yet it’s the chorus that carries astonishing weight: "But all of my ghosts are real… All of my ghosts are my home." In this line, Zauner encapsulates the haunting recognition of pain – that sorrow can become a familiar companion rather than something to conquer.
"Picture Window" doesn’t seek resolution – it invites listeners to inhabit the feeling. It observes the tension of looking out through glass while remaining anchored to one’s inner world, creating one of their most contemplative statements yet, blending grief, memory, and love harmoniously.
**SAMIA - HOLE IN A FRAME**
“A little death goes a long way,” Samia declares, delivering the line with such raw clarity that it lingers in the mind. In “Hole in a Frame,” one of the most powerful tracks from her upcoming album *Bloodless*, this lyric serves as an emotional cornerstone, acknowledging how even minor losses can create significant ripples in our lives.
The song grapples with the concept of “a little death,” capturing those small demises we all experience – of parts of ourselves, illusions, certainties. Samia expresses a fascination with these disappearances, suggesting that there’s a solace to be found within them. The imagery within the song creates a world of memory and longing, and ultimately, “Hole in a Frame” leans into absence, exhibiting a strange hopefulness in slipping away.
**MICHAEL MARCAGI - MIDWEST KID**
“Midwest Kid” is an anthem of homecoming and reclamation. This debut single from Michael Marcagi captures the essence of where he grew up — it resonates not just with those raised in rural areas, but with anyone who has carried the weight of their past into the present.
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Selected by Mitch Mosk, this week's Editor's Picks showcases music from Bon Iver, Japanese Breakfast, Samia, Michael Marcagi, spill tab, and Djo!