The Result Of Products Of Love Surrounded By Struggle

The Avett Brothers, hailing from North Carolina, have spent the better part of the last decade creating a dynamic of punk, bluegrass, and folk/country. Their music could be accurately described as pure energy, a banjo, and just the right pinch of southern twang in the voices. After extensive touring of the country they’ve gained quite the following, and the attention of a certain jolly, bearded producer of distinction.

If every band has to have a record in which they “grow up,” then for The Avett Brothers it might be their previous full length Emotionalism, released in 2007. Which would make their new album I And Love And You their “now that we’ve grown up” album. This album also marks their major label debut on Columbia/American Records. Not like anyone really needs a major label these days. But in this case, it didn’t hurt.

From the Mission Statement written by Seth Avett, contained in the Deluxe Box Set:

The words “I” and “Love” and “You” are the watermark of humanity. Strung together, they convey our deepest sense of humility, of power, of truth. It is our most common sentiment, even as the feeling of it is so infinitely uncommon; each to proclaim these three words with his or her very own heart and mindset of reason (or lack thereof); a proclamation completely and perfectly new each time it is offered. Uttered daily and nightly by millions, the words are said in an unending array of circumstances: whispered to the newborn in a new mother’s arms; shared between best friends on the playground; in the form of sympathy-said by a girl to a boy, as the respect continues but the relationship does not… The words are thought in the company of the photograph and said in the company of the gravestone. It is how we end our phone calls and our letters… the words at the bottom of the page that trump all those above it, a way to gracefully finish a message, however important or trivial, with the most meaningful gift of all: the communication of love.

The title track opens the record on a soft piano, and Scott Avett announces where we’re headed:

Load the car and write the note / Grab your bag and grab your coat / Tell the ones that need to know / We are headed North…

Immediately noticeably absent is Scott’s frantic pounding on the banjo, and the punk/bluegrass feeling. In its place we find a soft piano, a slow build of the drum kit, Joe Kwon’s cello, Bob Crawford’s stand-up bass, and Seth Avett’s harmonizing.

Three words that became hard to say / I And Love And You…

And with those three words, we know what this journey is about.

January Wedding is up next. This is the bluegrass/folk sound trademarked by the Avetts, featuring lively back and forth between Scott’s banjo and Seth’s guitar. Seth Avett’s singing is softer than his brother’s and helps make this one a sweet song about the surest of love.

No longer do we wonder / If we’re together / We’re way past that / And I’ve already asked her… And in January / We’re getting married…

All around, January Wedding is the simplest on the entire album, and appropriately so. It has the beauty Seth has demonstrated in past songs like The Ballad Of Love And Hate from Emotionalism.

Head Full Of Doubt, Road Full Of Promise takes us back to the piano accompanied with cello and drums. It’s got a slight folk feel, but, like most of the album, is stripped down to its essentials.

There’s a darkness upon me / that’s flooded in light / In the fine print they tell me / what’s wrong and what’s right… / And I’m frightened by those who don’t see it…

Scott Avett has the more abrasive voice of the two brothers, which adds his own signature to the songs he sings. The two brothers do sound very alike at different times, but they contrast just enough to produce effective duets.

Seth Avett carries the next track, And It Spread, on lead vocals. Again, not so bluegrass; a little more straightforward. And at this point in the album it really becomes apparent just how much the full drum kit is a key player. For the most part, all previous releases had maybe a few songs with a full kit, some songs with a partial kit (as evident in their live performance in which Scott will be stomping on a bass pedal as he plays the banjo), and the rest of the time there was no kit at all.

Perfect Space is a sure highlight of this album, and most likely a highlight of the live shows. When I saw The Avett Brothers perform at The Newport Folk Festival this past August, they played the song for an unplanned encore. It was a fantastic demonstration of the dynamic that is The Avett Brothers. The song started with Scott singing and playing on the piano, and Kwon complimenting on cello.

I wanna have friends / That I can trust / That love me / For the man I’ve become / Not the man that I was…

After they moved into the chorus, Kwon held the last note and Scott leapt from the piano bench to the drum kit and immediately went pounding into the second verse. Next, Seth Avett stepped out and was playing a Gibson SG that had been absent for the entire show prior. The second verse was almost an entirely different song, much faster tempo, and even some screaming. It’s an incredible change-up to see on the stage and just as good a song on the record.

Ten Thousand Words shifts us back to a nice country/classic rock feel with Scott and Seth’s accents showing a little more, and two acoustic guitars working together with a subtle organ.

Ain’t it like most people? / I’m no different / We love to talk on things we don’t know about…

Kick Drum Heart bursts open with incredibly joyful piano and Seth singing in pure glee of the exciting love found in this song.

We’re holding hands in the rain / Saying words like ‘I Love Ya’ / Do you love me? / Yeah / My heart like a kickdrum…

It’s bound to be a popular song at the band’s current and future live shows. It’s another fantastic track, and it has gimmick that begs for audience participation.

Laundry Room is a song that carries on the Avett Brothers dynamic with fantastic performances by all, including a guest fiddle. It takes off in the end with a great bluegrass conclusion. They played this song on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series back in June, and this performance just captures everything they do so well. The partial drum- it, stompy feet, and just unbelievable energy.

The album cut is a little less exciting in comparison. But it holds it’s own in context.

Ill With Want keeps with previous trends in the album, and speaks of the great imperfection of greed. It is followed by Tin Man which is a fresh sound all around on this album, and maybe their career, due to the pop sound and, in part, the album debut of a tuba. Slight Figure Of Speech keeps up these fresh sounds by adding electric guitar and bass, and an intricately constructed breakdown reminiscent of Talk On Indolence from 2006’s Four Thieves Gone. It Goes On And On tops off this trio of songs with great energy and fresh vibrations.

The closing track, Incomplete And Insecure, is kind of off-putting at first.

I haven’t finished / A thing / Since I started my life / I don’t feel much like starting now…

We just had all this fun and then this insecurity comes out…

Walking out lonely / Has worked like a charm / I’m the only one I have to let down…

It is a very stripped down and somber song, but it serves as a great reflection on the entire album; on “I” and “Love” and “You.”

More from the Mission Statement:

And yet the words themselves have been the victims of triviality, a ready replacement for lesser salutations among near strangers, burst forth casually as “love ya.” Truly? To what degree? Why, how much, and for how long? These are questions befitting the stature of love, though not the everyday banter of vague acquaintance. The words have also been twisted by the dark nature of deceit; to say “I love you” with a dramatic measure of synthetic emotion; a snare set by those who prey upon fellow humanity, driven to whatever selfish end, to gain access to another’s body or their money, or their opportunity. In this realm the proclamation is disgraced by one seeking to gain rather than to give.

The album I And Love And You is unashamedly defined by such a dynamic of duality… This is a piece which shows us as we are: products of love surrounded by struggle.

The Avett Brothers’ I And Love And You is a massive sounding album in comparison to their previous work. Every song is amazing on its own, and in context with each other a heartfelt journey. If the past albums feel like intimate and energetic performances in back yards, then I And Love And You is like bringing a stadium crowd to that back yard.

…By the way, that jolly bearded producer we referred to is none other than Rick Rubin. He produced the album.