You don’t have to be a fan of country music to like The Avett Brothers — you just have to be a fan of amazing music. Continue reading
Tag Archives: avett brothers
Coachella 2010: An O&B How-To
As it does every year, the Coachella Music Festival is about to descend upon Indio, California. From April 16 – 18, the one-horse town will be transformed into an indie music mecca, with hipsters converging from far and wide to soak up the tunes and 115-degree heat.
Coachella can be a terrific time but also a taxing one, so you’ll want to get your mandatory three-day ticket’s worth. To help ensure that you don’t risk all that dehydration and sunstroke for nothing, your friendly neighborhood Owl and Bear have compiled a list of this year’s must-see bands. Continue reading
Owl and Bear’s Top Albums of 2009
Owl and Bear writers’ favorite albums of 2009. Continue reading
Review: The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
The Avett Brothers are all about feeling. On Emotionalism, their last proper full length, the Avetts certainly didn’t shy away from feeling; they celebrated it. The songs from Emotionalism were mostly led by banjo, upright bass, occasional strings and the just-twangy-enough vocals of one or both brothers. Everything about that setup said these guys were playing bluegrass music, but what came out of the speakers felt different.
That element, that unique style of bluegrass that sounded more like an alt-country-influenced indie band, clearly set the Avetts apart from anything I’d ever heard before. But there was more to them than that. There were also those straightforward and heartfelt lyrics, melodies that felt nostalgic and comforting, and an overall sense that these guys grew up loving American music and wanted to make it their own, to take it somewhere new while keeping everything that was great about it intact. Continue reading
NPR Streaming Horrible New Avett Brothers Album
The new Avett Brothers album is terrible. It’s without a doubt the worst album we’ve ever heard, and you should avoid it at all costs. If Kelly Clarkson and Carrot Top were to put out an album of traditional yodeling duets, it would probably sound way better than this abomination. Listening to the Avett album’s so-called “music” will leave you with bloody ears, hairy palms, and a brutal case of IBS.
Oh who are we kidding? The new album is incredible, combining all the upbeat catchiness of Emotionalism with the breathtaking sincerity of the Gleam EPs. It’s just that every time we write about the Avetts, we gush about them, and we don’t want to bore you with our repetition. But I can’t help it—just as the Avett Brothers can’t seem to help putting out great records. Continue reading