8/11/2009

I Think We Need To Have a Talk


Dear Seth Avett,

Listen man, we need to talk some shit out. Your last couple albums have been OK. I was into Emotionalism, it had some really decent tracks. So I was excited when I got my hands on your new EP.

"I and Love and You" is one of the most uninspired releases I've heard in months. Stop writing love songs to Brooklyn. You guys are from North Carolina, not NYC. Stick to letters to pretty girls at the airport or down Cedar Lane. I get it, you guys want to expand your fan base and I'm really glad you are on tour with a big name like Dave Mathews Band and in the studio with a legend like Rick Rubin. But the reason that kind of exposure excites me is because I have spread the word about your band for many years now and want people to get to know the stage-stomping, soul-bearing brutal harmonies that I heard in the back room of a small town bar.

Apparently that's not what you're looking for:

One foot in and one foot back. But it don’t pay to live like that. So I cut the ties and I jumped the track. For never to return.

This verse pretty much says it all. I'll ignore the reference to payment here because I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. This is a powerful statement that the band is changing (but not evolving). But just because you are playing bigger venues and can't fit crowds in your old haunts doesn't mean you need to change the music too.

This EP is a step in the wrong direction - overproduced, obvious and lame. (What is the deal with the second track?) Hopefully the rest of the album is more reminiscent of classic Avetts. If it's loaded with the same misdirected wannabe hipster sentiment I'm sure it will sell well to those listeners that still attend DMB concerts, but you may have lost a fan here.


Avett Brothers - I and Love and You


Avett Brothers - Kick Drum Heart

3 comments:

fisherdm said...

Funny, I just recommended this track to a friend yesterday, but I don't know much of their previous work, so I have nothing to which I can compare it. Also, I don't listen to lyrics as intently as I should, I suppose.

scholar/gentleman said...

I and Love and You is basically standard Avetts fare. Musically, its not that bad. Its just that i feel like the song is sending a message of change. I highly recommend early Avetts, I'll never stop listening to those albums. And I'll reserve further judgment until the album comes out.

But Kick Drum Heart is a stupid f'ing song. Definitely.

Anonymous said...

Kick Drum Heart is DEFINITELY one of the worst songs ever. I am a big fan of early, banjo Avett awesomeness, so this album first came as a shock to me. However, after listening to the album a couple times, I did find about five songs that have really grown on me. Laundry Room to be named as my fave!!!!