I and Love and You

I and Love and You by The Avett Brothers

The Avett Brothers, a folk rock group from the town of Concord, NC, made their major label debut with I and Love and You and fittingly it is definitely their best album to date. The band, formed in 2000, has had a large and devoted fan base for quite some time and it is very easy to understand why when one listens to "I and Love and You". The band has headlined big North Carolina events such as Shakori Hills festival and even opened for Dave Matthews this year on his North American tour. The band has been under the radar of many for quite some time and now is their time to shine, with Rick Rubin producing the major label debut. The Avett Brothers create a unique sound with their seemingly easy blend of folk, bluegrass, and punk which provides a little something for everyone.

"I and Love and You" begins with the title track which is absolutely mind blowing. The track initially opens with just piano and builds up to something massive with a chorus that you can truly feel in your chest, "Oh, Brooklyn, Brooklyn, take me in/Are you aware the shape I'm in?/My hands they shake, my head it spins/Oh, Brooklyn, Brooklyn, take me in". The second verse has violins kicking in and begins the gradual build of the song. The part that really hits you in the song is when it kicks right back to just piano with the lyrics "Three words that became so hard to say/I and Love and You". The song is brilliantly constructed and definitely one of the best I've heard this year. The album continues with it's greatness, the next track being "January Wedding" a very typical sounding folk/bluegrass song which is what The Avett Brothers do best. The album continues trucking on with a perfect mix of softer, damn near heartbreaking songs, and high paced songs such as "Kick Drum Heart" which ends with a brilliant kickdrum simulating the sound of a heartbeat and the "The Perfect Space" which goes from a soft Avett Brothers song and halfway through turns into a rocking piano song with a riff that sounds vaguely reminiscent of "Werewolves of London". The song doesn't rely solely on it's swift dynamic change but also has the lyrics that The Avett Brothers are known for "I wanna fit in to the perfect space/Feel natural and safe in a volatile place/And I wanna grow old, without the pain/Give my body back to the earth and not complain". The album continues to bring both ballads and a couple of quick paced songs such as "Slight Figure of Speech" which features the Avett Brothers always amazing technique of spitting out lyrics at such a fast pace in a punk style. The album closes with another piano ballad "Incomplete and Insecure"

The album is such a huge leap for the Avett Brothers, not in terms of music seeing as the only different thing featured on this album is a heavy emphasis on piano, unlike their previous records, and an added orchestral sound to the songs, but more in terms of popularity. The only problem with this record is that it IS very similar to the previous albums, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This album is very easily accessible for those looking to get into The Avett Brothers but it continues on the classic Avett Brothers style which brings back their die-hard fans who are bound to love this album just as much as I did. The bands major label debut was essentially classic Avett Brothers, proving that this folk rock trio from Concord can still rock just like they used to on a major label. Do yourself a favor and buy this album...now.

Rating; 9/10
Standout Tracks: "I and Love and You", "The Perfect Space", "Kick Drum Heart", "Tin Man", "Slight Figure of Speech"

Monsters Of Folk

Monsters of Folk
Very rarely does a supergroup actually live up to it's name, and when your supergroup consists of Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, M. Ward of solo fame and She & Him, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket, some of the most well known names in the indie scene then you better back up all the hype that you are going to get, Monsters of Folk did just that. The self titled album which was released on September 22 is a monstrous album, pardon the pun. The album feels as if it was truly a group effort, each song has a different feel to it and you can tell that each member of the band put his own touch on all 15 songs included on this album.

The albums begins with a song that feels a bit unlike anything anyone in the band has done before. While Conor and Mike dabbled a bit in electronics with "Digital Ash In A Digital Urn" back in 2005, this still has a different feel to it. The song "Dear God, Sincerely M.O.F" deals with the ever present theme of questioning religion in music but definitely hit the nail on the head with this song. The lyrics that M. Ward, Jim James, and Oberst are singing out to God are definitely thought provoking ("I've been thinking about/and I've been breaking down without an answer/I know I'm thinking aloud but if your loves still around why do we suffer?") and are anything but generic. The second track "Say Please" sounds almost like a misplaced song from Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band's latest album "Outer South" with it's classic rock sounding riffs combined with the folk vocals. Ironically enough the song "Man Named Truth" seemed familiar to me upon first listen, then I realized that it was played during the 2007 Bright Eyes tour. Either way each song has it's own feel that there was a person in the band who came to the table with an idea and each other member put his own say into it, which is what should be done with a band that has such amazing talent in it. There isn't a weak track on this album and it's definitely credited to the fact that each member had such a large amount of say in the songwriting.

One of the things I didn't like though is how the album does seem to lag a bit in terms of continuity towards the end until it hits track thirteen with "Map of the World". In terms of single tracks the album does not have a bad song on it, but the flow of it does not seem right in terms of being on the album. It just drags on a bit which is the reason that I didn't enjoy this album as much as I could have. However, don't let that deter you from picking up the album because it's definitely one that is worth listening to, especially with the great closer of "His Master's Voice" continuing on the theme that the album began with of religion. The album definitely lives up to the hype that it was given and maybe a little bit more, but it is lacking that little something that makes it a truly amazing album.

Rating: 8/10
Standout Tracks: "Dear God", "Temazcal", "Man Named Truth", "The Sandman, The Brakeman, and Me"

The First Days of Spring
by Noah and The Whale

Noah and The Whale's "The First Days of Spring" is their sophomore album and the follow up to their debut "Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down". Noah and The Whale exploded in the UK with the success of their debut, but did not get the same attention in the U.S. "The First Days of Spring" is to be released on October 6 in the U.S. and was released on August 31 in the UK.

First Days of Spring is quite a stretch from the feel good folk vibes of their first album, as this is a concept album of a break-up. While the idea of a concept album about a break-up does not seem to stack up as well to the great concept albums that have been released before, the band does an amazing job at conveying the emotion of the break-up in this album. If you have listened to "Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down" then you'll know that "Hold My Hand As I'm Lowered", the closer of the album, had a very somber and heart felt feel to it. It stuck out like a sore thumb in the album that was primarily full of feel good folk songs that became poppy hits in the UK. Take the vibe of the albums closer and that is what you get with "First Days of Spring" from the beginning to the end. The opening title track is oddly the way that I'd sum up the transformation of the band from their debut to their sophomore effort. It's about the renewal that comes along with the first days of spring which parallels the want for the narrator to be "renewed" as well but still filled with the want that his love would come back to him. The kind of moving lyrics found in "Hold My Hand..." from their debut are found all throughout this album whether it be the hopeless longing found in the first part of the album's songs like "I Have Nothing" with "I need your life in my life/So come back to me my darling/I'd do anything to be at your side/I'd be anyone to be at your side" or the pain filled verse in "My Broken Heart" with " Broken hearts are a fickle thing and complicated too/I thought I believed in love but I'll never see it through/Oh I didn't marry the girl I loved/I saw my world cave in, felt like giving up". The album isn't all about the woes of the break-up though, as the album reaches a point of renewal just like the first days of spring and the narrator fills with hope that he will move on, even though sometimes those efforts are futile as in "Stranger", "Last night I slept with a stranger for the first time since you've gone" which ends with "Oh you know in a year I'm gonna be happy". The album closes with the lines "Yeah i love with my heart and i hold it in my hands/
but you know, my hearts not yours" which so perfectly sums up that album that all I can say is once this album is released in the U.S. go out and buy it.


The amount of change from their debut to their sophomore album is phenomenal. Noah and The Whale deserve far more recognition in the states. Their lyrics give you the feeling like you are going through the same break-up that the narrator has, and when you can make a concept album that makes the listener feel as though he or she is immersed in the story as well is when you know you've truly excelled at your art. Noah and The Whale have done just that and made one of my favorite albums of the year.


Rating: 9/10
Standout Tracks: "First Days of Summer", "My Broken Heart", "Love of an Orchestra", "Blue Skies"

First Blog, WHOOOOO

So I've decided that I'm going to do a music blog reviewing some of my favorite albums and some new albums that come out as well. Yeah, I know it's such an original idea but just bear with me. Hopefully I can open up some peoples eyes to new music out there because that's my goal with this. Look for the first review soon.