The Avett Brothers – self-titled
The Avett Brothers sound is made for outdoor summer nights. A mix of modern indie folk and old-timey instrumentation and harmonies, the North Carolina band, founded by Scott and Seth Avett, has built their career on a jam band-like foundation – albums are important, but constant touring, especially during warm-weather months, is where continual success lies. Songcraft, though, remains important to the band (check out their construction of “I Wish I Was” in their 2017 documentary May It Last to see the magic of a song coming together), and their first album in five years, The Avett Brothers, stays true to form – existential lyrics, lovely melodies and a dash of rock ‘n’ roll – giving this summer’s concertgoers a mix of new songs and old comforts.
Those harmonies are in effect on the intro to the album’s first track, “Never Apart.” The song itself sets up the twin themes on The Avett Brothers – the utter unpredictability of life, and a steadfastness to recognizing its most important moments. From its first lines – “LIfe cannot be written/It can only be lived” – to its key couplet – “No, I don’t have to miss you/We’ll never be apart” – the song, set around a pretty banjo line from Scott, embraces the paradox of a band always moving, yet staying firmly grounded. With that established, The Avetts break form for a moment, reaching back into their wilder days for “Love of a Girl,” a punchy, staccato rocker that briefly (and loudly) pushes against the idea of setting down roots – “Never find me/Waiting kindly/For someone to come remind me/Why I struggle so/Well, it’s all for the love of a girl.”
Later on the record, “Country Kid” dives fully into those roots. The mid-tempo ambler, while trading banjo riffs with Tania Elizabeth’s fiddle, shares the small-town wisdom of “gettin’ myself a whole second education/In the back a’ the bus/Kids kissin’ and cussin’/All around me,” then pictures a grown-up Avett brother, wife and child attached, wondering where all that time and innocence went – “Navigatin’ time zones/Inspectin’ the bones of the second half.” Follow-up “Orion’s Belt” jumps even deeper into the country rhythms. Led this time by Elizabeth’s fiddle, the radio-ready tune jumps on the road with the band and encounters folks whose perceived differences, well, really aren’t that different – “I hear the same words/Leaving the mouth of my enemy/Troubled the same/I fear the worst/How complicated it can get to be/Trying to land in the same place.”
It wouldn’t be an Avett Brothers album without a contemplative weeper, and “2020 Regret” fills that space. The piano led, string-laced ballad touches on both meanings of the titular number – pandemic fears and perfect hindsight. Even when confined, by virtual lockdown, to the same physical space, minds tended to wander after a few days/weeks/months of isolation – “I spent all that precious time somewhere else back then/Even when I wasn’t gone, I might as well have been.” Realizing they’re not the only ones with dreams – “I couldn’t blame you/If you discovered the things you wanted/Far away from me” – the Brothers make a promise of sorts to stay at home, if in spirit in not always in body, “‘cause there’s never been a time/I regretted time with you.” Through touring, marriage, divorce, children and even death, it’s a promise – to their families, to their music, and to their Carolina home – the band is making a renewed effort to keep.
Song I Can’T Wait to Hear Live: “Cheap Coffee” – With a foundation of bowed upright bass and an intensity that builds throughout its seven minutes, this one will sound amazing bouncing off Ship Rock and Creation Rock in the foothills of Morrison, Colorado.
The Avett Brothers was produced by Rick Rubin, recorded and mixed by Dana Nielsen and mastered by Stephen Marcussen. All songs written by The Avett Brothers – Scott Avett (lead and backing vocals, banjo, lead and rhythm guitars, piano, Wurlitzer), Seth Avett (lead and backing vocals, piano, lead and rhythm guitars, organ, percussion, synths, bass), Bob Crawford (electric and upright bass), Joe Kwon (cello), Tania Elizabeth (violin/fiddle, backing vocals), Mike Marsh (drums, percussion) and Bonnie Avett Rini (piano, Wurlitzer). Additional musicians on the album include Dana Nielsen (string arrangements, tambourine, Wurlitzer), Paul Defiglia (organ) and Kristin Wilkinson (string arrangements, viola).
Go here to order The Avett Brothers (out May 17): https://avett.store/
Check out tour dates here: https://www.theavettbrothers.com/tour
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Show Review: Avett Brothers at Wolf Trap 5/25
