The carpenters of Folk
November 7, 2012
The Avett Brothers are just one of those bands that everything about them fits perfectly together in their own unique way. The two brothers in the band Scott (banjo) and Seth (guitar) have this old time brotherly relationship that seems to have been plucked from the 1930’s rural US. It is through that bond that they can just about tell what the other is thinking without saying a word.
I feel like that relationship is a key factor to their wonderful folk music. Born in North Carolina, both of the brothers were in separate bands during their young adulthood, but on occasion worked on an acoustic side project called The Back Porch Project.
When their bands started to deteriorate, they focused more on the side project and even picked up Bob Crawford, an upright bass player, completing the band that today is known as The Avett Brothers.
The newest album from this trio, “The Carpenter” continues to show the simple bliss this band can create. This album is full of the acoustic folk that we have grown to love from them, but it also has a few more electric tracks in it as well. The first track off the album does a wonderful job to hook you into the rest of the album. This track, “The Once and Future Carpenter” has just an old strong feel to it.
The song is built around the chorus that ends with, “If I live the life I’m given, I won’t be scared to die.” The next track “Live and Die” has more of a folk pop feel to it with a clucking banjo and an electric slide guitar in the background.
This song is light-hearted and happy which heavily contrasts to the next song, “Winter in my Heart.” This is one of my favorite songs on the album. The sound is cold and haunting with the use of the cello and violin combined with acoustic guitar and piano.
This song speaks about being cold-hearted but not understanding why you cannot love anyone or feel compassion for them. The last track that really stood out to me was, “Through my Prayers.”
This track starts out with banjo and cello in a somber tone that can only be achieved by the blending of these two instruments. This song speaks of an experience that everyone faces in his or her life; the death of someone close to them and their inability to tell that person how you feel before they leave this earth. This album was rather satisfying in a homey kind of way.
I would recommend it to anyone who likes folk or wants a good album for the upcoming winter; something to listen to as you watch the snow fall.