There is something sweet and wholesome about a band of brothers. The country cannot get enough of them. Hanson. The Jonas Brothers. The Doobie Brothers (just kidding) — just a bunch of dudes who grew up playing instruments at home and decided to make a living out of it. The Avett Brothers have made a successful living out of it thus far, and they have their newest album to show for it.
The Avett Brothers have been playing professionally since the early 2000’s, releasing their first album in 2002. The Carpenter, released last week, is their seventh album. Their genre has been described as folk or indie rock, and some of the songs show a bit of bluegrass and country, reminiscent of their home state of North Carolina.
In order to really appreciate this band, you have to picture three tall, sullen and sometimes fully bearded men. With this mental picture, and the album set to play through, the music seems to flow easily, one song after another, with each song delving deeper and deeper into their lives and their lifestyles. Maybe this perspective is based on the fact that they are brothers.The connection between them must be stronger than their music can convey. You feel like the solemn words they sing are telling a story.
The first song on the record is “The Once and Future Carpenter,” a slow song about a lost soul — “Once I was a carpenter / Man, my hands were calloused” — who gently explains the story of his life and that he is ready to surrender. This is a simple song about a simple man with a simple message. The last line of the chorus is, “If I live the life I’m given, I won’t be scared to die.”
“I Never Knew You” is an upbeat tune that takes a break from some of the gloomier ones. It is placed strategically in the album and, although it is happier, goes along with the theme of not regretting what life has to give you. It is about a guy who used to love someone who is unrecognizable to him now. He realizes that he never knew her in the first place.
“Pretty Girl from Michigan” sounds like it belongs at a high school dance in the 50’s, without the doo wop. The song is a matter-of-fact tale about a love story that never came through, although it is pop-like and sweet.
In between slow and upbeat is “February Seven,” a morose song about looking for something, but finding a woman instead: “I went on the search for something real / I traded what I know for how I feel / But the ceiling and the walls collapsed / Upon the darkness I was trapped / And as the last breath was drawn from me / The light broke in and brought me to my feet.”
The themes of winter and death are prevalent throughout the whole album, but not as much as in “Winter in My Heart.” The pain is clear from the beginning of the song, which is a capella until what sounds like a violin starts.
The Carpenter will speak to fans of indie rock and those who like music that helps you relax.
There is no apparent meddling with the Avett Brothers’ voices and music. The harmonies sound as real as the chords on the guitar that welcome you in the beginning of almost every song. The emotion is true and beautiful.
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