Emotionalism Review - Denver Post

Roots music has benefitted from some amazing sibling collaborations, from the Carter family's expansive catalog to the Louvin Brothers to the more contemporary work by Eisley.

But one of the most important entries into this realm the past two decades is North Carolina's Avett Brothers. Working together under this moniker since 2001, Scott and Seth Avett have played together since childhood. Their music is the kind of folk that is pop-friendly without being cloying. It gallops forward with a charge, with banjos and acoustic guitars and extraordinary, rock-trained vocals cutting the path.

Like some of their contemporaries in the subgenre that straddles the line between indie rock, alt-country and folk - Clem Snide, Blanche and Norfolk and Western among the most notable - the Avett Brothers craft a potent blend of music that is as fresh as the spring air. They sing of nature and love in epic, bluegrass-tinged songs "Die Die Die" and "Shame" and "Salina." It's impossible to not taste the freshness of their music and their fearless creative approach.