True Sadness [LP]

by The Avett Brothers

Overview

There's a melancholy to the title of the Avett Brothers' 2016 album True Sadness, but the album's tone doesn't mirror its name. Certainly, there's a bit of a sorrowful undercurrent, something that surfaces on "Divorce Separation Blues," but often there's a buoyancy to the music's spirit, a lightness that's evident even in the burnished bluegrass ballads, tunes where the harmonies and plucked strings combine into a sense of sweetness. Always throwbacks at heart, the Avett Brothers temper their rough-hewn retro affectations by brightening the corners with hints of electronic rhythms and polish, a sly update executed with precision by Rick Rubin. Despite this breezy modern air, the Avett Brothers and Rubin alike are on firmer ground when the amplifiers are cranked just loud enough to growl and the rhythms lumber along with the slow, hazy crawl of Southern rock. This heavier attack distinguishes the Avett Brothers from the ranks of standard-issue Americana -- a genre where austere authenticity often matters more than gut-level force -- but what distinguishes True Sadness from previous Avett albums is how this force intermingles with lighter moments. Sometimes this airiness is evident in ballads that indeed carry a melancholic pull; sometimes the levity derives from those camouflaged electronic elements, moments that play like sun drifting in from parted clouds. Tonally, these seemingly conflicted feelings match because they play like the sadness is slowly lifting away. Far from being an album for wallowing in the depths of grief, True Sadness is a record about the emergence of hope. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	08/05/2016
Label:	Island / Republic
UPC:	0602547906625
Rank:	5671

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Ain't No Man
2. Mama, I Don't Believe
3. No Hard Feelings
4. Smithsonian
5. You Are Mine
6. Satan Pulls the Strings

Disc 2

7. True Sadness
8. I Wish I Was
9. Fisher Road to Hollywood
10. Victims of Life
11. Divorce Separation Blues
12. May It Last

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Avett Brothers   Primary Artist
Mike Marsh   Drums,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Scott Avett   Banjo,Vocals,Harmonica,Percussion,Synthesizer,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Jason Lader   Synthesizer,Guitar (Electric)
Tania Elizabeth   Fiddle,Violin,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Seth Avett   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Percussion,Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Joe Kwon   Cello,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Paul DeFiglia   Piano,Wurlitzer,Contrabass,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Dana Nielsen   Harmonium,Mellotron,Moog Bass
Bob Crawford   Viola,Guitarron,Percussion,Bass (Upright),Bass (Electric),Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Stephen Marcussen   Mastering
Mike Marsh   Group Member
Rick Rubin   Producer
Scott Avett   Artwork,Group Member
Jason Lader   Engineer,Drum Programming
The Avett Brothers   Composer
Eric Lynn   Engineer,Production Coordination
Timothy Seth Avett   Composer
Tania Elizabeth   Group Member
David Covell   Mastering Assistant
Joe Kwon   Group Member
Paul DeFiglia   Group Member
John Pfiffner   Mastering Assistant
Dana Nielsen   Mixing,Engineer,Programming
Crackerfarm   Artwork,Photography
Missy Thangs   Mastering Assistant
Bob Crawford   Group Member
Sean Oakley   Mastering Assistant
Scott Yancey Avett   Composer
Robert William Crawford Jr.   Composer
Joshua Smith   Engineer,Mastering Assistant
Dave Hanych   Production Coordination
Aki Nishimura   Mastering Assistant