Electric guitar and a pounding drumbeat — the first five seconds of the Avett Brothers’ single “Ain’t No Man” defies the group’s usual folk sound. The group’s previous albums featured a country twang aesthetic that nods to the North Carolinian upbringing of founding members Scott and Seth Avett. In the past, the defining elements of the Avett Brothers’ sound have been a banjo and the group’s playfully unrefined and nearly off-key vocal harmonies.
The Avett Brothers have established a well-known and distinct reputation as an indie-bluegrass group. They rely heavily on the humble and southern aesthetic of acoustic instruments, and have even gone so far as to title albums with rural flavor such as “Country Was” and “A Carolina Jubilee.” Some songs from past albums evoke a somber or bleak emotionalism, while others present a more cheerful sound and more chaotic pace. They have mastered the folk blend of lively energy and sentimental reflection. At their best, the group blends Bob Dylan’s honest execution and Willie Nelson’s contemplative and heartfelt lyricism.
Though the single doesn’t stray from the group’s charming word choice, the sound changes drastically from typically rustic to far more polished. The electric guitar chords are strung precisely and cleanly, and the song’s execution is carefully controlled, much to the dismay of avid fans. The smooth tempo of “Ain’t No Man” feels unexpected and disconcerting. This latest work is suggestive of the group’s potential severance from folk and future investment in contemporary rock.
Additional cause for shock is the altogether absence of the banjo, and not to mention the name of the upcoming album — “True Sadness.” The title is plainly indicative of the lessening of a lively folk aesthetic and movement away from light-hearted Americana.
With the fine-tuned sound of “Ain’t No Man” and dreary connotation to the upcoming album’s title, fans are fearfully forced to ask, are the banjo swinging Avett Brothers gone forever? Perhaps they released the radically different single as a strategic move to hint at their shifting musical style — an ominous thought to many folk-loving followers.
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