Hear a song from Midwest music bard Bon Iver's first album in six years

Things are looking up for Bon Iver fans, and apparently for the guy behind the name, too.

Western Wisconsin's Grammy-winning indie-rocker Justin Vernon and his band laced with Twin Cities musicians have announced the release of their first album in six years, "Sable, Fable" — or "SABLE, fABLE" if you want to adhere to Vernon's usual typist-challenging letter play.

The 12-song collection will hit stores and streams April 11. One of its pivotal tracks, "Everything Is Peaceful Love," was released Friday along with a fun lo-fi music video filmed by John Wilson of HBO's hilarious series "How to With John Wilson."

The smile-inducing, life-embracing candid scenes in the video match the feel-good vibes in the song. That warm hopefulness is apparently indicative of the other new songs on the record — but are a sharp contrast to the three previously released songs on it.

The new album incorporates last year's self-exculpatory, downer of an EP, "Sable," as its three lead-off tracks. They are apparently part of the overall arc of the ultimately brighter full LP.

"If 'SABLE' was the prologue, then 'fABLE' is the book," reads a press release for the new album sent out by Vernon's label, Jagjaguwar.

With the kind of grandiose wording that has become commonplace with Bon Iver announcements, the release goes on to read:

"Like fables, each track instills a lesson, and 'fABLE' is about the selfless rhythm required when one is enmeshed with another person or lover — a patient commitment to finding the pace for betterness, and togetherness. Gone are the evasive and dense layers of sound that guarded Justin Vernon's voice on 'i,I' and '22, A Million.' The previous four albums were a cycle of seasons that is now complete; 'SABLE, fABLE' is a canvas for truth laid bare."

The album was recorded at Vernon's studio April Base near Eau Claire and features a newish collaborator, Jim-E Stack, as co-producer. Stack also has worked with Caroline Polachek, Dominic Fike and Haim. One of the Haim sisters, Danielle, sings on one of the new Bon Iver tunes, "If Only I Could Wait."

Preorder options are now up and running for "Sable, Fable."