THE AVETT BROTHERS – “I and Love and You” (CD Review)(VIDEOS)
2 comments so far (is that a lot?)
Written by Greg Victor on October 26, 2009
The best-kept secret in American live music is out. A piano, a guitar, a bass, a cello, wall-to-wall epic roots ballads with heart-felt harmonies; the Avett Brothers are the heart and mind and soul of modern man on human growth hormone.
Over a year ago, I had the thrill of catching the Avett Brothers as they made their Grand Ole Opry stage debut. I wondered if these guys were for real. I had never heard of these Appalachian Beatles. With their roots in punk and bluegrass, they rocked that place in a way that most country acts just do not. They stepped right up to those mics and wailed and strummed banjos and created a friggin’ hootenanny in front of that audience that basically came to see Diamond Rio. Whoever these guys were, I couldn’t wait to get online and spread the word. Now that their newest album is out, you will be hearing a whole lot more about them.
The Avett Brothers are Scott and Seth (originally from North Carolina), with Bob Crawford on bass, and Joe Kwon on cello. Moving and smart and simple and homespun. It’s pretty much a band that almost anyone can appreciate.
At the heart of this album are piano-based songs (most of them as peppy as they are moody). Although they have now put out seven albums, this is the one you’ll want to put on repeat when you get home, crank up the music, check your email, feed the dog, and ponder whether you want to actually cook dinner or order take-out. But don’t crank it too loudly unless you like your neighbors. Chances are they’ll knock on your door to find out whose tunes you are playing.
Download these:
“I and Love and You” – starts the album off with a plaintive tune that tells you this won’t be exactly the punk/bluegrass CD you expected. At the same time, the chorus achieve an earnestness that yearns to be take their place as artists:
Brooklyn, Brooklyn, take me in.
Are you aware the shape I’m in?
My hands they shake, my head it spins.
Brooklyn, Brooklyn, take me in.
They are at that place where they are ready to say those three words (I and Love and You) in a song. They weave this song as only rising artists can.
“The Perfect Space” – brings out the newer chamber-folk quality that the band is exploring:
I wanna fit in
To the perfect space
Feel natural and safe in a volatile place.
They know just when to kick in the rhythm though. You get the feeling that these songs were written in a rush of inspiration. They are devoid of any excessive ideas or notes, and are just that powerful.
“Ten Thousand Words” – with the organ as a headlight, pointing the direction ahead, the acoustic guitar solos ebb and flow. These are the sounds of the songwriter as his muse flows and flows. Ten thousand words… I wish. This 5:36 length song could go on and on and on and I’d be happy.
“Kick Drum Heart” – This may end up being the song that propels the Brothers into the major spotlight. It’s a potential party song that you will want to crank up. In case you’ve been a fan for years, in this song the good ole Avett Brothers are back with their trademark energy within a poppy melody.
“It Goes On and On” – The complex arrangements deliver a pop hook with an insistent drive.
“Incomplete and Insecure” – This song is the perfect example of how the Avett Brothers find a small truthful emotion and wring it out for its full value. This is sincerity that the writer didn’t have to think up. Clearly such insight comes from having lived it:
I haven’t finished a thing since I started my life,
I don’t feel much like starting now…
(Label: Columbia/American)
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Comments (2)
Roger
October 27th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
I love that Brooklyn song!
john k.
October 27th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
it's so good!!
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