Avett Brothers and Lac La Belle

By Josh Humphries
mixer

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Avett Brothers: I and Love and You

“I love you” is arguably the most powerful phrase in the English language. Most people want to say it and even more people want to hear it.

The combination of those three words; I, love and you, makes for a powerful theme, one upon which many a record, book and movie has been built.

For the Avett Brothers, I think the sentiment is a symbol of growing up.

The Avett Brothers have grown up. They are not as rough and rowdy as they used to be. They have settled down into a fully capable but definitely a noticeably different band.

This is the most catchy album the Avett Brothers have ever put out. It flirts with schmaltz but manages to move around it with interesting vocals and the ever-present banjo and guitar strum that gained the band attention in the first place.

The Avetts have always been adept at writing songs you can sing along to immediately and this album is no different. But you may catch yourself pausing to think about the lyrics than with their previous records.

I would not rank this as one of my favorite Avett Brothers records, but I also wouldn't immediately write it off. I think the boys have crafted an album that hits on a new style for them. They have written what may be called a “grower.” It gets better the more you listen to it.

Last years' “The Second Gleam” signified a shift to more introspective and quiet songs, the kind of stuff that you hear on National Public Radio. I think the band is going for a more adult audience, which is fine, but it seems slightly out of step with where they are coming from.

No one likes it when a reliable band changes. But patience can be very rewarding.

This album may mark the beginning of a new era for a band that has certainly earned every fan they have. It may be the beginning of their middle period, one that is often tumultuous and ultimately looked on later with love by fans.

Lac La Belle: Lac La Belle

Lac La Belle sounds like they learned how to play on a screened-in Appalachian porch.

A little research reveals the surprising fact that these backwoods troubadours call Detroit home. Detroit, where the garage rock and noise groups go to breed, is not known for its Americana, folk or country music, but maybe it should be.

Its likely that every American city has one good folk group. Surely every town has a small group of kids who latched on to Hank Williams, Bill Monroe and Doc Watson instead of Stephen Malkmus, Brian Eno and Black Francis (not that you can't like all six.)

For Detroit, its Lac La Belle. Their sound is dominated by the withering voice of Jennie Knaggs, who lilts above a revolving cast of folk instruments like banjos, mandolins and bowed double bass.

The songs, many of them traditional with a touch of western swing, are delivered with just the right amount of professionalism. They are just rough enough to avoid sounding all Nashville, but you can hear the notes and you can tell what is happening.

The standout track is “Different Way of Dying” which gets at a kind of mid-west trash can Americana that is swirling in states like Missouri and Illinois. It tells a story and draws the listener in.

This 10-song collection is a great introduction to a band that will probably be traveling the country for quite a while. They have the kind of stuff that appeals to most people. It's fun, it's real, it's a little technical and gets to the core of American music.