A fitting banjo scale opens the album before Seth Avett tells the tales of his life. Innocent and wide-eyed, each listener sits upon his knee as his words soothe the soul; “And remember, we’re all in this together. If I live the life I’m given, I won’t be scared to die.”
“Can’t you tell that I am alive? Let me prove it,” is the segue into the powerful chorus of the first single, “Live & Die” off the highly anticipated album “The Carpenter” by The Avett Brothers released Sept. 11.
From the first two lyrics I pulled, one can tell that the album centrally deals on the issues of life and death. By the final track, “Life,” the band is waving goodbye, slowly walking backwards as the blinding light envelopes them and leaves the listener not with a void, but with fulfillment.
There are very few times where I can sit back and feel content about a piece of music coming out of my first listen. After downloading the album at 10 p.m. Monday night (on account of my iTunes pre-order) I listened through the album in its entirety. When it came to a close, I sat back and let it turn over in my being in silence as I went to bed.
Themes and melodies digested, I decided this album was their crowning achievement. From the raw bluegrass roots of “The Gleam” I & II and “Emotionalism,” to the over-polished, grammy-ready sound of “I and Love and You,” The Avett Brothers finally found the perfect mixture for their one of a kind sound.
Conceptually, The Avett Brothers are perfect for me. A lot of my family lives in the southwest and — much like the rest of the cowboys — they have a strong affinity to country music. The Avett Brothers are modernized country music in content, with more style and depth mixed in with a rock edge every once in a while to spice things up.
Needless to say, I deeply regret being patient in regards to buying tickets to their Sept. 29 show at the Fox Theatre. I will be scouring craigslist and other ticket resale sites regularly for the next couple weeks in an effort to attend what should be the concert of a lifetime. (The Avett Bros are known for their riveting live performances.)
So if you have any extra tickets for the concert collecting dust and whatnot, feel free to send them my way for free — along with any questions, comments, or concerns to [email protected], or tweet @thehippestcat. If you want to get into The Avett Brothers, a good starting point is “Emotionalism” before hopping out of the nest to experience one of the greatest bands of our time.
And I mean that.
