First Impressions of the New Avett Brothers Album, I and Love and You

While I was working on the cover story for the June issue of Paste (the new Special Edition mini), I sat in a room at the Hilton in Austin, Texas, with one of The Avett Brothers' label reps from their new label Columbia, and she played me rough mixes of seven tracks from the band's forthcoming major-label debut, I and Love and You, which was produced by the legendary Rick Rubin, who's worked with everyone from Johnny Cash to Public Enemy.

Even though I was hearing unfinished rough mixes, it was already the some of the best-sounding, most fully realized music I'd heard from the band. And given the quality of their output thus far, that's saying a lot.

Here is a brief preview of the what's to come late this September when the album drops—impressions scribbled straight to my yellow legal pad, as I sat there listening to these songs from I and Love and You for the very first time...

"Slight Figure of Speech"

More of a full-band sound. Super catchy, but not overly polished. Looks like Rubin and the band resisted the temptation to clean it up too much. Very Violent Femmes. I said this before about the band when I heard the song "Matrimony" from Four Thieves Gone, but it's even more present of an influence now. This tune gets super-fast. Rapping. Thick, Beach Boys harmonies. Even a little Modern Lovers vibe.

"I and Love and You"

Title track. Gorgeous piano ballad. Rubin, in recent years, has been known for stripping artists down to their core, but with the Avetts, there wasn't much stripping-down left to do. Again, he resists any temptation to drown the band in sounds simply to be contrarian. This is definitely the best-sounding record they've ever done. There's a wider instrumental palette—drum kit, organ, cello and piano all play a greater role than ever before. At the heart of it all, though, is the songs. The band's manager Dolph once told me a story about the first time the Avetts played Merlefest in North Carolina. It's a roots/acoustic/bluegrass/Americana kind of scene. The head of one of the labels that has a big presence there, Sugar Hill, was not interested in signing the Avetts. "All they could see was the screaming and stomping," Dolph said. But, the next year, the president of Sugar Hill came up to Dolph and told him he'd been right about the Avetts: "I get it now," he said. "It is about the songs."

"10,000 Words"

The acoustic guitars on this sound straight off of Led Zeppelin III, or maybe "Your Time is Gonna Come." I was just told Benmont Tench from the Heartbbreakers plays organ on this. It seems the band has managed to make the jump to a major-label without losing its identity. But they have polished things slightly. You can tell they're working with great engineers, and spending more time getting great tones. When you hear it, you'll think... "Oh, OK. This is how it always should've sounded." Great lyric that stands out: "Ain't it like most people, I ain't no different, we love to talk on things we don't know about." So true.

"It Goes On"

Upbeat piano-thumper. The drums add so much. I'm glad the Avetts have been forward-thinking enough to leave behind their signature acoustics-and-bass-drum/hi-hat stomping only, to try new approaches that better serve the songs. This one actually reminds me of ben Folds a little. It's more radio-friendly than anything they've ever done before, and probably the best pop songwriting I've heard from them.

"Darkness"

Cello, piano... it's the most sweeping, dynamic music The Avetts have made yet. The Hammond B3 plays a much bigger role. I think they're using a studio drummer on this one. It's very well orchestrated and arranged. Standout lyric: "There's a darkness upon me that's covered in light ... and I'm frightened by those who don't see it.

"Kick Drum"

They played this one at the Paste SXSW party at the Radio Room. This song almost has a ska vibe to it, but with a more straightforward beat. "My heart like a kickdrum..." It's almost entirely piano-anchored. Not much electric guitar. Very strong melodically. Rubin really brings out the best in them. You can tell they spent a lot more time on this album.

"Friends"

Standout lyric: "I wanna have friends I can trust ... that love me for the man I've become, not the man I was ... I need friends who'll let me be." Heavily features Joe Kwon's cello playing, and has some nice tempo shifts. They really peel back the music on this one, letting the strongest lyrics really shine through.