The Avett Brothers: I and Love and You (2LP) [AMERICAN RECORDINGS]

Why you'll love it

This 2LP set gives the Avetts' major-label debut four sides, under Scott Avett's own oil painting on the cover. Produced by Rick Rubin, it reached No. 16 on the Billboard 200.

This edition

• 2LP set
• Cover painting by Scott Avett

About the album

Rick Rubin heard The Avett Brothers' Emotionalism and wanted in. In 2008 the North Carolina band left the indie Ramseur label for Rubin's American Recordings and went to Los Angeles to make their major-label debut, with Rubin producing and a bigger, more polished sound than the rawer records that made their name.

The title song came first as a free download and later turned up as a Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week. "January Wedding" is a sweet, simple love song, "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise" builds to a big sing-along, and "Kick Drum Heart" is pure bounce. The band made a 13-chapter video series, one chapter per song, while the album rolled out. "Ill with Want," "Laundry Room" and "Tin Man" bring quieter, reflective moments to the second disc, and NPR streamed the whole album before it came out.

Paste said they had constructed something beautiful, and PopMatters called it their best record yet. It came out on vinyl two weeks before the CD, the kind of scheduling decision we'd like to see a great deal more of.

Also at Kops: more The Avett Brothers on vinyl · browse Folk

Tracklist

Listen

On American Recordings (cat# B0018223-01), the 2009 album.