so, i for one was totally psyched about the new monsters of folk album that was released earlier this fall. m. ward, of m. ward and she & him, conor oberst and mike mogis, of bright eyes, conor oberst, and conor oberts and the mystic valley band, and jim james of my morning jacket teamed up to release a full length album. each took a turn with writing, singing, etc. after a few listens, i’m a bit disappointed.
taking nothing away from the individual talent of the four gentlemen, the album just feels like it has fits and starts. it didn’t gel. disjointed is another apt word. it’s not really a full work of art. there are songs worth a listen, a sing along, or buying, but the album certainly does not feel like one of the best albums of the year. while possibly unfair, that’s what i was expecting. just the same, the monsters of folk shouldn’t throw in the towel. i’d imagine they’ll hammer out the kinks for a second full length, if this little project makes it that far… and, i hear that their concert is great. sadly, i didn’t make it when they were in town :o(
on the other hand, the avett brothers put out an album that is liable to stop working on account of wear. it has been playing non-stop for weeks in the player. i and love and you will likely go down on my list of the top ten albums of the year. emotionalism was a tour de altcountry emotional fantasia and it felt like the only place they had to go was down… WRONG!
i and love and you was a great follow-up. fully produced, many folks are whining, blah blah it’s not as raw, wah wah they sold out. cry me a river! it’s good. granted, i and love and you is not the exact same avett brothers as their earlier releases, but so what. bands evolve, try new things, and return to old. if they put down the banjo and harmonica forever, i might start crying too, but some piano and hooks won’t kill anyone. what’s more, the album feels complete, and as you move from one song to the next there is a flow that makes it enjoyable to listen to the whole thing… over and over and over again.
some of my person favs include the form following content of kick drum heart, happiness ridden, simple and heartfelt january wedding, and you’ll-find-the-part-that’s-fun-to-shout-out-loud-to-in-the-car-and-don’t-be-shy the perfect space.
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[...] favor and see them in concert. if you’re in the midwest, you’ll get to see them with the avett brothers. lucky! if you’re in the south on the east coast, you can catch them with annie and the [...]
chekmo: not so low anymore | Audiophilage added these pithy words on Feb 07 10 at 00:44nice post. I would love to follow you on twitter. By the way, did you learn that some Iranian hacker had hacked twitter yesterday.
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Jennifer added these pithy words on
Dec 18 09 at
17:27
