The Second Gleam

iTunes Review

With The Second Gleam it seems like the Avett Brothers subscribe to the Woody Guthrie songwriting philosophy that, "If you play more than two chords, you're showing off." While they don't adhere to that discipline religiously, Seth and Scott Avett pen stripped-down, threadbare, country folk songs with guitar, banjo, the occasional piano, and lucid lyrics that open up pathways into complex feelings and introspection. The anticipated follow-up to 2006's The Gleam begins with "Tear Down The House," a slow waltzing number rooted in traditional Appalachian confessionals and early 1960s coffeehouse folk. "Murder In The City" has the Avetts harmonizing softly over endearing lyrics about the loving bond between their family members, and "The Greatest Sum" flows with a descending melody in the verse that's sublimely catchy enough to take up residence in your head for days. Like Gillian Welch, the Avett Brothers find serene beauty in modern-themed melancholic musings set to sparse, acoustic country. "St. Joseph's" exemplifies this best with timeless arpeggios that tiptoe around a narrative about trying to find warmth in the coldness of a late night hospital visit.