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All Growed Up: Band of brothers mature on masterful major label debut
It’s hard to let go. Of a girlfriend. Of an old hound dog. Of a tattered pair of jeans. And maybe most gut-wrenchingly of all, it’s hard to let go of your favorite heretofore unheralded band. Watching them grow from dingy clubs to cavernous ballrooms. Seeing them jump from a blurb in the local alt-weekly to the cover of a national magazine. And, finally, watching them walk all wobbly kneed and wide-eyed into the larger spotlight.
As much as it should be about the music, the resounding, oft-repeated story-line for I and Love and You is as follows: Grassroots phenoms convert a congregation of followers with kamikaze touring and a deluge of boutique-label releases since 2001, then step up to the big microphone. A major label. A stylist. A recording studio in the surgically enhanced hills of Malibu. A mystical svengali-like producer (Rick Rubin) with globe stompers like the Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers on his résumé.
The Avett Brothers (Scott and Seth, plus bassist Bob Crawford and cellist Joe Kwon) no longer belong solely to the indie cult. But to concentrate on the names and dollar signs and intentional pining for mass appeal is to ignore the far more important point—for the Avett Brothers to make this record took ginormous, pendulous testicles. Having conquered every Saturday night music hall and holler between Asheville and Portland, they have made a record that is not just a stab at the mainstream—it’s a harpoon through its sternum.
This is not at all a bad thing.
The Avetts could’ve made some kind of caterwauling record full of flaming banjoes, hootenannies, and throaty hollers that encapsulates their reputation-making live show. In fact, that would’ve been a pretty damn sensible move as far as introductions go. Howdy, we’re the Avett Brothers. We’re gonna hillbilly-rock you like you’ve never been hillbilly-rocked before.
Instead they’ve constructed something beautiful. An album that’s not merely loaded with ballads, it’s almost wall-to-wall epic ballads. Pianos trickle before the storm, strings ball up their fists, swells and waves of sound wash over the Avetts’ sorghum-sweet harmonies. And this is just in the first song, a goose-bump engorging title-track that could by itself inspire a legion of new fans. It’s like Rubin took everything the band does so well and pumped it full of human-growth hormone. With that kind of heartfelt Southern soul pealing from the mouths of two chiseled brothers from North Carolina who look like they should be sucking jugulars on True Blood, can the shrieking masses looking for their next pinups be far behind?
Let’s hope so. Because to lose sight of the art behind the artifice is to do The Avett Brothers a disservice. It takes true talent to pull off this kind of transition. Too many strings and it gets cheesy. Too many love songs and it gets maudlin. Too much navel gazing and the emotion gets diluted. In short, it could’ve come off like a Grizzly Bear album—but to think that is to forget that behind their good looks and gravely golden voices, Scott and Seth are hellacious songwriters. Much like Ryan Adams before the speedballs dulled his fangs, The Avett Brothers are experts in mining the heart and soul of the modern American man. Love is an obvious theme, but so is finding freedom and maturity. Their lyrics are tough yet vulnerable, insightful yet homespun, manly yet emotional. The kind of thing that makes the girls giddy and the boys envious. There’s truth here. So when they croon a line like, “Something has me acting like someone I know isn’t me, ill with want and poisoned by this ugly greed,” you don’t want to gouge out your ears with piano wire.
The depth and beauty that spread all across I and Love and You will, with any luck, keep The Avett Brothers from becoming The Jonas Brothers. My initial research indicates that this is indeed possible. After playing the album for a few ladyfriends in my living room, we sat in silence as they conjured up words between sips of beer. Wow. Chills. Beautiful. Can you burn this for me?
Only after I showed them Scott and Seth’s picture did the swooning, debates over which brother was cuter and dissection of haircuts begin. As The Avett Brothers wander beyond our record collections and off on their own to find fame, this is the best we can hope for.
Listen to The Avett Brothers' "I and Love and You":
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This is the best article I've read about the new album yet.
"This is the plight of the Avett Brothers fan: He must keep a stiff upper lip as his heroes trek off into the great unknown mainstream."
I couldn't agree more..or be more proud of our boys.
A brilliant piece of writing about a band I sincerely love. Thank you, Paste. Wonderful work, Bart.
Absolutely, this IS the best review thus read. I think you nailed it on the head. In fact, I believe that while it is sad to see something precious and seemingly known only to you blow-up, I am glad that so many people will experience them. After all, I've spent the past couple years telling ALL of my friends about them--doesn't that mean I want EVERYONE to know them?
Cheers.
The other commenters nailed the fact that you nailed this review. I will try to keep my stiff upper lip. The cd is on Itunes top albums today . . .
The Jonas, um I mean the Avett Brothers...
So let us discuss “I & Love & You” and the songs that it boasts. Prior to the release, the super-fan that I am, I collected and archived 6 of the 13 songs that were to be on the album form various YouTube postings. And O man, they were good good songs! banjo blasting my face off, guitar town USA, screaming backup vocals, and dynamic -- all in traditional Avett Brothers fashion. I was sure that Rubin couldn’t alter these jams (in a negative way) too much, because these songs were set and had the Avett Brothers sound and style all over the place. After I had grown accustomed to these songs, their energy, and their arrangements the time had now come for me to listen to the streaming and hear what changes were made and what the other 7 songs sounded like. After convincing the publicist to send me a link to the stream I put my head phones, closed my eyes, sat back and it was there that I began my journey to the land of “O shit man, what happened to these guys!?” Ok, that might seem a little harsh, so allow me to clarify. The songs are absolutely brilliant, the recording is crisp, and it’s a really good alternative rock album. So for the masses who are unfamiliar with the Brothers’ previous work this album will become an instant favorite. But for those of us who were familiar with the brothers of old it really is quite deflating. These songs are so polished down that that raw energy and raspy vocals and rattley instrumentation have all been mopped up. The former banjo and guitar driven songs have been pushed aside to make room for more piano than a Libarache tribute festival. As for the banjo, a signature mark of the Avett Brothers sound, it only shows up for 2 songs (and one of the songs is just the last 20 seconds or so).
I don’t know who is to blame, or praise, for this change; regardless if it’s the Avett’s or Rubin, I foresee the Avetts becoming a household name. Once we had the Brothers covering Woody Guthrie, Bob Willis, and Townes Van Zandt, and now I don’t think those songs will fly to their audience that will no doubt be comprised of thousands of screaming 13 year old girls, frat brothers hoods, and first dates. I foresee the Avetts being clumped in with the likes of The Fray and Ben Folds, and wouldn’t be surprised if one of these songs made its way on to a Drew Barrymore movie during some sort of New York City lovers montage right before the credits roll. I’m not saying this is bad, I’m just saying it’s different. Most people will say something to the effect of “Yeah I know the album is pretty radio friendly and low key, but its goanna be the live shows where you really are going to be able to experience the energy and passion of the Avett Brothers” and I would tend to agree, but that is only if you can get enough money to purchase your thousand dollar tickets before they sell out Madison Square Garden in twelve seconds.
“I & Love & You” is a brilliant record, it will for sure be a hit to fans old and new alike, it will make them no small amount of money, and will for sure be on my personal top 5 albums of the year; but in terms of musical let downs it is the biggest one I’ve had in 10 years. There was a time that I loved the Avett Brothers and I felt connected with them and like I was a part of what they did, if they had a cult I would have been like the chief evangelist and apologist for them, but with the release of “I & Love & You” I think I am growing luke-warm and might even apostatize (I heard that Eliiott Brood has a good one coming out, I think Ill have to check it out). Well Im off to watch the Avett Brothers perform on David Letterman, I wonder if the Jonas Brothers will come out and do like a dual brother combo, that would be pretty cool if Rick Rubin could hook that up!
Danny Kadar > Rick Rubin.
If this album is released as a live album before the end of the year there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that it will be the best release of 09.
As it stands, I'm going to guess this will barely miss my top 10.
If they'd done it with Danny Kadar (who produced Emotionalism) it'd undoubtedly be in my top 3.
I miss them AND WANT THAT LIVE ALBUM.
Hopefully they'll realize and deliver.
Looking forward very much to picking up this album!
And PS Is it always necessary to diss what the Jonases have going? They are the underappreciated Cadillac of Tween Pop Rock (and I'd say pop in general). I liked THEM when they were these sweet little prepubescent nobodies (WHAT?! the shows were free and they were GOOD!)...and very much enjoyed watching the exciting and often terrifying insane skyrocketing they experienced.
Instead of fretting over whether every band that achieves a mainstream toehold is "selling out" or being appreciated for wrongly marketed reasons (inevitable!), maybe try to have fun watching a worthy band succeed, knowing you own a piece of it and they couldn't have done it without you?
Very well said.
My wife I and wandered into the Avett’s world 5 years ago, first encountering Scott, Seth and Bob when they opened for Michelle Shocked at the State Theater in Falls Church, VA. The Avett Brothers were the second of two opening acts that night, and having already endured one forgettable warm up band, we were pretty impatient by the time they took the stage. Being the second opener is no easy task for any band, but as I recall that night they opened with "Pretty Girl From Baltimore" then “Swept Away” - and we immediately had a sense we were seeing something special. “Nothing Short of Thankful” -- in all it’s string-breaking, foot-stomping, thrashgrass glory was next, and it reeled us the rest of the way in.
Since then we’ve followed them to wine tastings and art-festivals, we've watched them open for others at tiny clubs and classic music halls -- then re-appear at the same venues a year later as sold-out headliners. Each night we were joined by an ever-growing mob of rabid fans which fueled the Avett's energy onstage .
As you say, the Avetts are great songwriters at their core, and the tunes have evolved a great deal over the years. At first I was excited they were working with Rubin, then a little skeptical. But after a few quick listens, the front of the record seems to be a logical progression musically. Some of the stuff towards the back sounds completely original to me -- not just for the Avetts, but totally unique -- in a good way. Other times I'm hearing the Beach Boys -- no shame in that. All in all, it seems to be worth the wait and I'm looking forward to hearing how this comes together in the live show.
Hell, we knew they were too good to keep all to ourselves, but I think they'll stay true to what they told us at the end of Mignonette:
"Now they may pay us off in fame
But that is not why we came
And if it compromises truth
Then we will go"
To me it's about space on this album. The piano and drums are too overwhelming on a lot of the tracks. The determining factor when adding those instruments (since they're rare on previous albums) should be, "Am I filling space or filling a void?" Open space is good and is what makes the previous albums work so well. Void is bad and should be ... Read Morefilled in.
A few of the tracks on this new album that include drums and/or piano work well b/c they still kept the necessary amount of open space, but largely I'm not liking the piano and drums. And I'm also missing the banjo.
Excellent review, as I expect from Paste Magazine. And I'm one of that new legion of fans who heard the single "I and Love and You" and was instantly won over. I bought a ticket to their show, one of the few times I've been willing to pay the 27 different fees Ticketmaster tacks onto a ticket, just to see these guys. Best show I'd seen since Feist last year and ranks at the top with that Damien Rice show where the sound system blew out and he went on anyway to play for three hours including that cover of "Glory Box" with the hot guest Spanish singer.
Yes, the live Avett Brothers show is different from the album. But sign of a great album, great songs...phrases from these songs press to the front of my brain randomly throughout the day, melodies replayed over and over, they're are welcome to stay.
I can see that how long-time fans will feel 'deflated'. But the Avetts say it clear on this album..."I want to have friends that I can trust, that love me for the man I become, not the man that I was." True love of a band, true respect for the artist, means following them wherever they go, whatever they do. Don't have to love it, but respect that they are true to their gift. All this grousing and complaining...what's it really all about?
that was beautiful. you may have restored my faith in the bros. I think im ready to give it a listen now.
I have seen the Avett Brothers so many times in my North Carolina home that it is hard for me to even recognize these new lyrical balladeers. I am in love with "I and love and you." The title song so reminds me of Joni Mitchell's "California," -- the themes of forlorn loss of a love and transcending that love onto a city, a new hometown. Running from the past and the burn of an old flame. Joni made a name for herself as a songwriter with that song. The Avett Brothers are evidently doing so too. One of those CW shows had the title track in an episode this week. As far as I am concerned, that does not mean they have made it, but someone over at CW does know a thing or two about music. Regardless, it is nice to see these "slamgrass" homeboys turn into true musicians worthy of recognition. I would not worry about them becoming pinups, or getting too big for their overalls, anytime soon.
have seen the Avett Brothers so many times in my North Carolina home that it is hard for me to even recognize these new lyrical balladeers. I am in love with "I and love and you." The title song so reminds me of Joni Mitchell's "California," -- the themes of forlorn loss of a love and transcending that love onto a city, a new hometown. Running from the past and the burn of an old flame. Joni made a name for herself as a songwriter with that song. The Avett Brothers are evidently doing so too. One of those CW shows had the title track in an episode this week. As far as I am concerned, that does not mean they have made it, but someone over at CW does know a thing or two about music. Regardless, it is nice to see these "slamgrass" homeboys turn into true musicians worthy of recognition. I would not worry about them becoming pinups, or getting too big for their overalls, anytime soon.
have seen the Avett Brothers so many times in my North Carolina home that it is hard for me to even recognize these new lyrical balladeers. I am in love with "I and love and you." The title song so reminds me of Joni Mitchell's "California," -- the themes of forlorn loss of a love and transcending that love onto a city, a new hometown. Running from the past and the burn of an old flame. Joni made a name for herself as a songwriter with that song. The Avett Brothers are evidently doing so too. One of those CW shows had the title track in an episode this week. As far as I am concerned, that does not mean they have made it, but someone over at CW does know a thing or two about music. Regardless, it is nice to see these "slamgrass" homeboys turn into true musicians worthy of recognition. I would not worry about them becoming pinups, or getting too big for their overalls, anytime soon.