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Avg: 4.0 (1769 ratings)
- Date Released: March 15, 2007
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Bluegrass, Indie Rock
- Label: Ramseur Records / Thirty Tigers
Bluegrass trio gives up on documenting their stage show, crafts their masterpiece.
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We Say...
It's not hard to find lively and talented young string bands these days, but few possess the magic spark of North Carolina's Avett Brothers (a trio consisting of two brothers and their bass-playing friend). Early on, the Avetts earned a reputation for transcendent live performances but never quite seemed to reach that same level in the studio. ...It's not hard to find lively and talented young string bands these days, but few possess the magic spark of North Carolina's Avett Brothers (a trio consisting of two brothers and their bass-playing friend). Early on, the Avetts earned a reputation for transcendent live performances but never quite seemed to reach that same level in the studio. On Emotionalism the pieces finally came together; they put less emphasis on trying to document their stage persona and instead concentrated on the considerable pop potential of their songwriting. The result is an album that marries Beatlesque melody to old-time/folk/bluegrass instrumentation with the Avetts' punk roots showing in attitude and energy. -
They Say...
Americana with attitude is the best way to describe the Avett Brothers' music, a sublime blend of folk, country, hillbilly, and blues, swirled through with pop, rock, and a touch of wry punk. In their dreams, it all sounds perfect, but not so much so, they think, when they awake. "Yeah, you deserve the best," they bemoan, not just some "Hand-Me-...Americana with attitude is the best way to describe the Avett Brothers' music, a sublime blend of folk, country, hillbilly, and blues, swirled through with pop, rock, and a touch of wry punk. In their dreams, it all sounds perfect, but not so much so, they think, when they awake. "Yeah, you deserve the best," they bemoan, not just some "Hand-Me-Down Tune." Well, regrets, we've all had a few, and the Avett Brothers more than some. But if you're going to be filled with "Shame," best to offset your remorse with an incredibly infectious melody. Besides, life is short, and since we're all going to "Die Die Die," we might as well live and love while we can, even if that does just occasionally mean the band must shrug off "All My Mistakes." And love is the paramount emotion of Emotionalism, be it too young (the bouncy "I Would Be Sad"), Spanish-flavored ("Pretty Girl from San Diego"), blues-flecked ("Living of Love"), or exuberant (the British Invasion-styled "Will You Return?"). However, of the many marvelous romantic-themed numbers, the most striking is the romantic tale "The Ballad of Love and Hate," whose opening line, "Love writes a letter and sends it to Hate," immediately grabs your attention. Elsewhere, the band explores other emotions, like the nervousness that infects the otherwise jaunty "Paranoia in B-Flat Major," or the amusing attempts of the band to shrug off the attentions from cities around the country: "Salina" begins in fingerpicking style but ends with evocative classical piano and cello, and "Pretty Girl from San Diego" also shifts tactics from Spanish guitar to a big rock finish. From lullabies to the contrarily rousing singalong party piece "Go to Sleep," the Avett Brothers pick their way through America's folk styles, and deliver them in ways you'd never expect, all wrapped around lyrics, sometimes wry, sometimes dead-serious, but all delivered with the band's signature intensity. A fabulous album from a band that just keeps getting better. -
You Say...
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| 01. |  |
Die Die Die |
2:50 |
|
| 02. | |
Shame |
3:53 |
|
| 03. | |
Paranoia in BB Major |
3:37 |
|
| 04. | |
The Weight of Lies |
4:29 |
|
| 05. | |
Will You Return? |
2:46 |
|
| 06. | |
The Ballad of Love and Hate |
5:20 |
|
| 07. | |
Salina |
4:44 |
|
| 08. | |
Pretty Girl from Chile |
5:42 |
|
| 09. | |
All My Mistakes |
5:07 |
|
| 10. | |
Living of Love |
4:31 |
|
| 11. | |
I Would Be Sad |
3:44 |
|
| 12. | |
Pretty Girl from San Diego |
3:50 |
|
| 13. | |
Go to Sleep |
4:04 |
|
| 14. | |
Hand-Me-Down Tune |
4:07 |
|
14 Total Tracks, 58:44 Total Length
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Credits
- Paleface - Guitar // Amy Brown - Engineer // Amy Brown - Audio Engineer // Greg Calbi - Mastering // Danny Kadar - Producer // Danny Kadar - Engineer // Danny Kadar - Mixing // Danny Kadar - Audio Production // Danny Kadar - Audio Engineer // Jason Krekel - Vocals // Valorie Miller - Vocals // The Avett Brothers - Audio Production // The Avett Brothers - Audio Production // Scott Avett - Design // Scott Avett - Layout Design // Scott Avett - Cover Illustration // Scott Avett - Group Member // Seth Avett - Vocals // Seth Avett - Group Member // Justin Glanville - Vocals // Ami Worthen - Vocals // Julian Dreyer - Engineer // Julian Dreyer - Audio Engineer // Leon Godwin - Vocals // Joe Kwon - Cello // Sarah McDonald - Vocals // Evan Bradford - Audio Engineer // Jason Krekel - Vocals // Susan Helfrich - Vocals // Ami Worthen - Vocals // Bill Reynolds - Audio Production // Bill Reynolds - Audio Engineer // Paul Farese - Vocals // Monica Samalot - Drums // Donny Herron - Fiddle // The Crackerfarm - Vocals // Scott Knestaut - Vocals // Mary Ellen Bush - Vocals // Dane Honeycutt - Vocals // Leon Godwin - Vocals
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