Avett Brothers Backwards, Part II (long overdue)

To say that I have a backlog of potential posts on music in my mind would be quite the understatement. When I re-formulated the blog to include more than just music, I thought this would allow me to post more regularly with music mixed in, but somehow music posts always take longer and I don't seem to get to them. But I will not give in! Post even shorter, even less-insightful posts about music? Sure. Give in? Never!

So let's start with the fact that it has been since last Halloween (as in two and a half months, several blizzards, and a host of holidays ago) that I posted Part I of this supposed two part post on the Avett Brothers. (As The Engineer would say: sheesh!) If you can recall that far back, I noted that I had not owned any music by these fine musicians and was in the process of exploring them startng with their most recent album first and working backwards. Payton commented (back on the dreaded WordPress blog) that he hoped the next album I was listening to was Emotionalism as every song on it was a gem.

It was, and he is right.

I know this sounds silly, but part of the beauty of this album is that it is so, well, emotional. And not just any emotions, but a lot of different ones--love, shame, anger, anticipation, remorse, sadness and on and on. Many of them are connected with growing up, learning and self-reflection, which anyone who has read anything I have written about music knows is one of my favorite themes. Here for instance is a favorite verse from "The Weight of Lies":

I once heard the worse thing
A man could do is draw a hungry crowd
Tell everyone his name, pride, and confidence
But leaving out his doubt
I’m not sure I bought those words
When I was young I knew most everything
These words have never met so much to anyone
As they now mean to me

Verses such as that are made all the more powerful by great song construction and singing with beautiful harmonies. The songs invite you in, envelop you and take you for their own individual rides. They make you ache, but leave you hopeful.

The album is also put together really well in terms of song order and theme. It moves nimbly from ballad to blues to upbeat bluegrass. Even the "Pretty Girl from Chile" which moves from country-flamenco (is that a genre? or redundant in some way?) to a minute and a half of rocking metal falls just right in the midst of the other songs. And as usual with albums that I find so compelling as albums it is hard to know what to sample to really reflect the effort as a whole. It is also a bit difficult because many of these songs speak directly to me and so it is not hard to get all personal about them.

So here are three from later in the album to give you a sense. Suffice it to say that I wish I had written "All My Mistakes" (on a regular basis). Following that "Living of Love" is perfectly time and beautifully crafted and "Pretty Girl from SD" gives you a sense of the fun side of this album.

All My Mistakes

Living Of Love

Pretty Girl From San Diego

The bottom line here is that if there happens to be anyone else out there who managed to not notice this album when it came out a couple years back, just pick it up already.

And for those who are already AB connoisseurs, what is the next album I should sample?

You May Just Have to Wait for the Music, We'll See

Seems like it is a 50/50 chance that I am going to actually post on any music I have been listening to as we are about to enter into the "I only listen to holiday music (or post about holiday music)" zone--as I have previously admitted. So, let me just put down a post-turkey, pre-Christmas tree raising marker tonight to say that here is what I owe you as far as I know (and will get to come in January if not before).

• commentary on the the new Dave Rawlings Machine album (aka another Dave and Gillian disc)--hint, yummm;
• recent jazz listening (which is all acceptable, but not amazing);
• my next post on my backward walk through the Avett Brothers catalog;
• a post wondering if Jason Moran is the jazz artist of the oughts;
• there is also the new Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons album; and,
• I am beginning to look back through the what I missed this decade list.

And now as the T-Day meal is officially done, I am off to do a little holiday music shopping informed primarily by AccuJazz who has been tweeting good suggestions from their upcoming holiday channel for a couple days now (I grant them a pass on the no Christmas tunes before T-Day rule because, well, because it is a random rule I can declare in place or not whenever I feel like it).

May I be the first to say happy holidays BTW!

Avett Brothers,Backwards, Part I

Another musical admission on my part. I had never listened to, much less owned, an Avett Brothers album prior to this month. That is notable because if the two albums I now have in my possession--which have been on almost constant play for two or three weeks--are any indication, I am a huge Avetts fan. I knew they were out there. I knew lots of people who admired their work. I just never acted on that information. Until now.

It started with NPR's All Songs Considered streaming the new album I & Love & You which I listened to repeatedly (while concentrating deeply on my work of course). I couldn't listen all that closely but I could tell I liked it and away we went. Now I know that this album, their first on a major label, has been received a lukewarm response from the critics for not being as cutting edge and adventuresome, for being sappy and not "true" enough--but really that narrative is so predictable it isn't worth worrying over. Then again, who am I to say since I am coming at their work from this perspective?

Well, here are a few of the reasons I have been enjoying this album and we will get to the Brothers in general in a minute.

• The album as a whole is uplifting which is not to say that all the songs are happy or upbeat, although some certainly are. It is uplifting to me because the lyrics seem primarily about trying to deal with life--the good, bad, happy, sad--as it comes without overstatement. They realize certain things at this point in their life but aren't preaching to anyone that they have all the answers. It is what it is.
• The music is simply put, beautiful. The arrangements have plenty going on but with lots of space among the instruments. This is helped by a really wonderful mix where each instrument comes out clean but integrated. And of course, that all rides on top of simply wonderful songs.
• Even if they are not as adventuresome here, it is clear that these guys have a good understanding of a wide range of music and the influences, from bluegrass to jazz to blues comes through.
• And ultimately it is perhaps because the music speaks to me both lyrically and musically.

Now I am going to try to be less mp3 heavy here in the new space (and somehow I imagine Sony will swoop down in a heartbeat if I sample this album), so here is the title track video. This tune which opens the album, definitely exemplifies the "here is where I am at in life" now approach of many of the songs. It is one of the many fine ballads on the album, but there are certainly other more upbeat tunes and also darker songs as well.


Now in the interest of time (mine and yours), I will come back to these brothers in another post to look at an earlier effort as I work my way back through their catalog.