Surprisingly enough, the Avett Brothers are led by the North Carolina bred brothers Scott and Seth Avett. Though the brothers had played music together for much of their lives, it wasn't until the late nineties when Seth's high school band joined forces with Scott's college band and the siblings began performing publicly together. Originally called Nemo, the band released three albums. In 2000 the brothers began experimenting with acoustic music, changed their name to the Avett Brothers, released their eponymous debut. and the rest, as they say is history. Over the last fifteen years the Avett Brothers have released nine studio LPs (the last three of which have reached the top five on The Billboard 200), four EPs, four live albums, developed a reputation for using a panoply of styles in their music, earned renown for their live shows, and been nominated for a Grammy Award.
Released on their The Second Gleam EP, "Murder in the City" may be the most poignant song ever written about what it means to be in a family. The sheer humanity of the lyrics is stunning (and this is from one music fan who doesn't put a lot of stock in pop music lyrics, despite how much I may love them)--from the brother/son asking for restraint should he be murdered in the city, to the father expressing so perfectly what a parent's love is, to the brother/son reminding his family that his belongings don't mean much when compared to his love for his sister and mother. Musically, the song is a pair of acoustic guitars and...that's it until a nice touch of piano at the song's close. The two guitars are in perfect harmony with Scott Avett's vocals, as earnest and honest as is the song itself. I'd really be hard pressed to name a song written this century that impresses me more than this one--and every time I hear it makes this old fart folkie smile in both joy and amazement.
Lyric sheet (truer than true words this week...): "Always remember, there is nothing worth sharing/Like the love that let us share our name..."
Enjoy:
Peace,
emaycee
Should I ever be ambitious enough to write a Jukebox-esque blog, I think this song just might be the first. There are only a handful of songs I could probably listen to on repeat for an hour and not get tired of, and this is likely one of them.
ReplyDeleteIts musical simplicity is met with, I think, lyrical complexity. The song is about family, sure. But the line about not avenging his death, because one is enough, is beautiful and says a lot. Also, the line you mention about a parent's love is like a complex story in one simple line.
And I'll be goddamned if I don't have to loudly sing the last line every fucking time I hear it.