On their major-label debut, alt-country buzzmakers the Avett
Brothers check in with a Grammy-winning producer (Rick Rubin), a
newfound sense of scope and a sweeping song cycle about broken hearts,
wrecked truths and busted dreams. On a series of indie albums released
over the past decade, the North Carolina trio explored the outer
fringes of Americana with such genre tools as banjos, fiddles and some
serious twang. On I and Love and You, they stock up on tunes and
purpose.
The piano-ballad title cut sets the tone: all optimism until
melancholy sets in. From there, the record weaves in and out of tales
about folks getting on with their lives in their own little perfect
spaces. It all ends with a song called “Incomplete and Insecure.” In
between, brothers Scott and Seth Avett battle their neuroses with huge,
gorgeous songs that at times recall Wilco’s Being There —
another album that was too big for alt-country confinement. And “Head
Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise” is as close to a mission statement
you’ll hear from the Avett Brothers. No explanation necessary. —
Gallucci
This article appears in Sep 30 – Oct 6, 2009.
