It's been a really long time since I've posted. For that, I apologize. Life got really crazy. I guess it's still pretty crazy but some really cool stuff happened in my music world last week. Not only did the Avett Brothers come out with a new album but I got to see them live! What better way for me to get back to posting than with one of my favorite bands.

Yes, yes, yet again, I am here to talk about everyone's (ok, mostly my) favorite brothers, The Avett Brothers. I'm pretty sure half my posts are about them. Deal with it. I love them and so should you.

Let's start with the new album. It's good, of course. I'm not sure the Avett Brothers could make bad music. A lot of fans are pretty upset with the direction these boys are taking with their music. Their becoming more country and less bluegrass. They're cleaning it up, tightening their screws and veering from that rawness we've all known and loved from their early work. They started doing that with I and Love and You and I don't know if they'll ever go back to it but that's okay with me. I mean, as much as I'll always gravitate toward that raw sound, I still think they're making really good music and I like it. So many bands change their sound as they progress and I really think this is a necessary move in the Avett Brother's career.

I think I've talked about this before.

The first Avett Brothers full length album came out in 2002. They were one of the first bands to start this blugrass/rock genre that so many bands are filling the airwaves with today. They've been there, done that. It's time for them to explore it a little bit more, now.

Like with last years album, The Carpenter, Magpie and the Dandelion continues to showcase a little more electric guitar in the first track, orchestras and large choruses in their second track and then they even get almost this psychedelic sound in the third. By the fourth track on the album, they bring back a little to their classic banjo sound. And next is their inevitable love ballad. No one writes love songs like the Avett Brothers. No. One. Track six, I might call my favorite on the album. Good to You. Maybe it's the piano. There's nothing I can't resist less than Seth Avett and the piano. Does me in every time. And  those build ups? I'm weak in the knees. I love the simplicity of this song. It makes it even more powerful.
The rest of the album continues in this combination of sounds. Our friend, Zachary Gibson called it a longer third Gleam. I might have to agree with that. It really has the vibe of the Gleam EPs. They even include a live version of Souls Like Wheels, a song on the Second Gleam. I will say, sometimes the flow of this album seems a little off. Like, the transition between Souls Like Wheels and Vanity is really abrupt. Not sure how I feel about that...
Overall, I really like this album. I'm not sure if I like it more than the last album. I might like it the same, just for different reasons. It's not my favorite album, though. But my favorite Avett Brothers album is always changing. Last week it was Mignonette. For a while before that it was Four Thieves Gone and before that, it was I and Love and You and before that... anyway, you get the picture. Maybe some day it could be my favorite. It's a good album. The Avett Brothers love writing music and it shows and I love them for that. I always will.


Stay tuned for my post about their show.

In honor of the Avett Brothers new release today (Magpie and The Dandelion), my song of the day is from the album. I'm sure one of us will review it soon.
This song is called "Vanity" and I feel like it's one of the strongest songs on the album. Enjoy.

The Avett Brothers played Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday and totally rocked it (of course they did). They played "Another is Waiting" from their album The Magpie and the Dandelion, due out Oct. 15.
They're playing Fallon again tonight with Chris Cornell from Sound Garden and Audioslave, so tune in.

I first heard about the Avett Brothers from Tori and Zach. They always talked about them when Tori and I were living together, so I schooled myself via the interwebs one day, and I never looked back.

A couple Avett Brothers songs fit so well into situations I have experienced that it's uncanny. Music has a great way of making you feel that you aren't alone, but their songs make me feel like they sneaked into my journal and wrote about what they found there.

Anyway, they have a new album called Magpie and the Dandelion coming out in October. "Another is Waiting" is the first song they have released, and I love it. It is pretty poppy, but they don't stray too far from the Avett Brothers sound. The song is a good marriage between old AB and new AB, I think. It has the Avett-style harmonizing of something that could have come before I and Love and You and the LOUD that came after (and during).

Click here to listen on NPR.

New Avett Brothers music video.



I just love them so much.

I don't know what it is about this album but any time I am upset about anything at all, listening to it always makes me feel better. Whether I'm sad, angry, stressed, hurt, confused, frustrated, broken, anxious or all of the above, this is my cure. So when you have a moment, turn out your lights, turn this record on and lay on your floor with your eyes closed and just listen. I hope you get it.

I know Zach already posted about this album but I have a couple things to say about it too so sorry for some repetition....

I've been obsessed with The Avett Brothers since 2007 when Emotionalism came out. My brother was into them and would mention them every now and then. Then they played at the Bumbershoot music festival on a little stage in the corner. I went alone. The friends I was with wanted to go see Mae instead. Of course, they were incredible and I've never turned back.
It's been interesting to see them evolve these last 5 years. They've changed a lot but they're still them. I don't think it's possible for them to make anything bad. (Knock on wood. I used to think that about Nate Ruess). I gave their new album, The Carpenter a listen last night. (Thanks NPR!) Now, I've only listened to it once and it was late at night but here are my first, sleepy thoughts on it.
It was really good. Really different from their old stuff but really good. Don't know if I could call it my favorite yet but I still really enjoyed it. It's a lot less bluegrass-ey, a little more sing-song-ey. Less banjo, more drums, some electric guitar, even some horns. I felt like there was also a lot less vocal harmonies than usual too and I don't think there was any passionate build up to him yelling. In other albums he yells at least once or twice. I missed that. I also missed the harmonies and banjo.
That said, it's still a fantastic album. A great addition to their collection. I think it's great they're changing and experimenting. Now that they're making more money, why not? I think it's time they did. They've already set the tone for other bands such as Mumford & Sons and a few others. Now that their bluegrass/rock sound is trending, time to mix things up a little bit, right? Set some new trends. Explore new sounds. Luckily, it would seem, The Avett Brothers will always be The Avett Brothers. They will always sing beautifully. They will always sing things that get me right in the heart. They will always be who I listen to when I have a rough day. They will always get me.