Thomas McCarter

The Avett Brothers unique combination of sounds that pull from country, folk, rock and roll, honky tonk, bluegrass and ragtime has made them no stranger to success.  The brothers first broke onto the Billboard Top 200 with their record Emotionalism in 2007, which also landed them atop of Billboards Top Heatseekers Albums chart.  Later that year the brothers earned the Americana Music Association Duo/Group of the Year and New/Emerging Artist of the Year awards.

After announcing a partnership with Rick Rubin and signing to his American Recordings label, “Rolling Stone” called them “the Artist to Watch of 2009”.  The Avett Brothers released their first “Rubinized” record entitled I and Love and You” later that same year which peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Top 200 bestselling albums, No. 8 in bestselling digital albums, No. 7 in rock albums, and No. 1 in folk albums.

Continuing the partnership with Rubin, “The Carpenter” was released in September of 2012.  The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard Top 200 and was nominated for the Best Americana Album at the 55^th annual Grammy Awards.  Now the brothers have just released their latest album entitled “Magpie and the Dandelion” this October.  “Magpie” is brought to us from the same sessions that brought us “The Carpenter”.

The Brothers open the album with a track called “Open Ended Life” which is an electric (not a very common Avett Brother sound) rock song that combines electric guitar, piano, drums, banjo, fiddle and harmonica to tell the story of leaving, trying to find your place in the world.  This story is a common topic for the Avett Brothers, however, as the brothers grow, so do the meanings of their songs which is something that shows all the way through this album.  “Another is Waiting” is another electric track in the middle of the album that creates the same electrified folk, foot-stomping feel;  maintaining the Avett sound, yet electrifying it in a new way.

The Avett Brothers never fail to make you get up and dance like they do in songs like “Another is Waiting” and “Open Ended Life”, however, another thing that the brothers never fail to do is tear you down with incredibly personal and revealing lyrics.  “Morning Song”, the second song on the album, opens with the words “hurts so bad/you don’t come around here anymore/ worse than that/nothings really helping I’ve been thinking about drinking again”.  These simplistic, straight-to-the-point lyrics are accompanied by a lone acoustic guitar that builds into piano, cello, drums and group harmonies by the end of the song.  “Apart from Me” is another painfully honest song about being apart from loved ones and the possibility of losing them.  This song too is accompanied only by a single acoustic guitar and a cello, giving it a heavy, lonesome feel.  This sound lined with lyrics like “apart from me/I would not dare take someone in love with me where I’m going” give the Avett Brothers a quality of realness and true heartache that is far too personal to fabricate.  This quality is one that is, sadly, a rarity in today’s music scene and one that needs to be recognized.

Since the Brothers decided to partner up with highly sought after producer Rick Rubin in 2009, there has been talk of the band losing their raw, imperfect sound.  To this complaint, I respond as a true Avett Brothers fan from the days even before “Emotionalism”.  I am talking the days of the brother’s earliest work with albums like “Country Was, Mignonette, and Four Thieves Gone”.  I agree fully with the allegation that the latest albums have been produced to be much more polished than their predecessors.  However, to say that The Avett Brothers have lost their sound is ridiculous.  The Avett Brother’s true sound comes from their embarrassingly honest, to-the-point lyrics and wide range of sounds.    Yes, “Magpie and the Dandelion” is more electric and clean cut than their previous albums, but if you compare the pretty guitar melodies and lyrics of heart-wrenching tracks like “Apart from Me” and “Morning Song” that come from “Magpie and the Dandelion” to the similarly styled tracks like “Bella Donna” or “Black, Blue” you cannot say that the Avett’s sound has disappeared.  The same thing goes for faster paced songs like “Die Die Die” of “Emotionalism” versus “Skin and Bones” of “Magpie”.  The honesty and raw emotion is what build this group and it has gone nowhere.

Overall, the Avett Brothers latest album “Magpie and the Dandelion” is not their best piece of work.  However, with that being said, the album is still very well organized and well written.  The Avett Brothers never fail to amaze me with their songs and the latest album is no exception.  So, go buy a copy.  Get up and dance to “Open Ended Life”, stomp your feet to “Another is Waiting”.  Let the words of “Morning Song” and “Souls like the Wheels” work their way through your mind and heart.

Other notable tracks:  “Good to You”, “Skin and Bones”, “Clearness is Gone”