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THE ITHACAN

The Student News Site of Ithaca College

THE ITHACAN

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$1495
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Your donation will support The Ithacan's student journalists in their effort to keep the Ithaca College and wider Ithaca community informed. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

Review: Brothers revive harmonic style

A year after the release of “The Carpenter,” The Avett Brothers continue to produce captivating, folky tunes of heartbreak and life after death in their latest album, “Magpie and the Dandelions.”

Vocalist and guitarist Seth Avett’s voice initiates the album’s first song, “Open Ended Life,” where he sings of a wandering lifestyle that beckons to vagabonds, asking the audience to lead a life that is not confining. His twangy yet pleasing voice sings over rhythm guitar and upbeat banjo picking. The song takes on a slightly downtempo pace, like “Skin and Bones,” in the album, but picks up speed and leads the listener to a classic folk harmonica solo and a song-defining guitar lick.

Holistically, the album is a bit sedentary and lethargic because of the nostalgic beat of some of the songs such as “Skin and Bones” or “The Clearness is Gone,” but The Avett Brothers’ lyrics never fail to consume the listener. The classic-folk band transports its listeners to a place of wanted love with lyrics such as, “Bring your love to me/ I will hold it like a dandelion/ One I want to save/ one I want to keep from the breeze that follows me and no one else.”

The Avett Brothers sing of tragedy, desire and lost love over the harmonizing cadence of pianos, banjos and guitar. Most songs feature a piano or guitar riff, which complements the charming and sedative voices of Seth and Scott Avett. The sweet tunes make for a melodic and entrancing album worth adding to every listeners’ iTunes repertoire.

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