The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You (2xLP)

There is no harmony like brotherly harmony. Something indelible in the weave of voices and play of sensibilites is stamped into the fraternal DNA and also stems from a lifetime of shared experiences. You can hear it in classic brother acts across the musical spectrum, from the Louvin Brothers to the Everly Brothers and on down the decades through the Wilson Brothers (Beach Boys), the Davies brothers (Kinks), the Allman Brothers and even the Brothers Gibb (a.k.a. the Bee Gees). You can clearly hear fraternal magic at work in the songs of Scott and Seth Avett, better known as the Avett Brothers, as well.

That magic is abundantly evident on I and Love and You, the Avett Brothers' big-label debut, produced by Rick Rubin. Its 13 songs are delivered in a style that defies pigeonholing but might be described as a rootsy amalgam of folk, country, bluegrass, rock and pop — even a jab of punk-style dynamics here and there. With I and Love and You, The Avett Brothers have taken a giant step forward.

If Emotionalism was the band's breakout album, then 2009‘s I and Love and You was its coming of age. For the first time, the band teamed up with producer Rubin, who imposed a new discipline while being sensitive not to quash the spontaneity and enthusiasm that brought such rollicking charm to the group's earlier self-produced work. Wondrously whimsical songs such as "January Wedding," "Laundry Room," and "The Perfect Space" became audience favorites and catapulted the album into the Top 20 on the Billboard 200 bestselling albums. Late night followed; so did appearances on PBS's Austin City Limits and at the 53rd Grammy Awards. The boys from North Carolina were becoming a national phenomenon.

Double 180-gram LP, gatefold jacket