By Brian Wise
THE AVETT BROTHERS & MIKE PATTON – AVTT/PTTN (Thirty Tigers)
During the 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival I witnessed the Avett Brothers in a spectacular show at the Saenger Theater that convinced me that they must be one of America’s best live outfits. Inadequately described as folk rock by some, the group – headed by Scott and Seth Avett – translated their recorded work – produced by Rick Rubin since 2009 – into an incredible synthesis of folk and rock. Majestic was the description that came to mind in a performance that still lives in the memory for its beauty.
Honoured by the Americana Music Association with a lifetime achievement award in 2023 – after previous wins in four other categories – and nominated four times in the Grammys, it seems amazing that they have only toured Australia once, in 2010, and that included two shows at Bluesfest. I had also seen them inn 2014 in Nashville at Riverfront Park during Americana, but by 2023 they had reached a whole new level.
Perhaps this new album, which teams the Avett Brothers with Faith No More frontman and songwriter Mike Patton, might create enough interest to inspire some perceptive promoter to get them back here in some format – sooner than later.
Some might think that this is an unusual pairing but Patton’s various projects in recent years makes the collaboration much more logical: working with John Zorn, Laurie Anderson and Bjork, members of The Melvins and even Slayer and others. That’s eclectic enough just for a start, and it fits neatly with the eclecticism of the Avetts while adding somewhat of a harder edge at times.
Apparently, the project grew out of Scott Avett’s admiration for Patton’s work and has been developing since 2019. Trading songs and sounds eventually resulted in this full album’s worth of material. “Mike’s part of our DNA, like the fabric of our youth,” Scott said. “Literally, we studied him. He’s a dear friend now, but when we were younger, I was imitating him.” Patton’s take on it was, “My peculiar challenge in this was to become a long distant cousin. A brother that was orphaned. Maybe they kept him in the chicken coop or some shit. They brought him out years and years later.” “This is what art is,” Scott added. “This is what making is supposed to be: in secret and with no ambition.”
All the songs – apart from the traditional ‘The Ox Driver’s Song’ – have been written by the Avetts and Patton, with production by Patton, Scott Avett and Grammy-winning engineer Dana Nielsen, who has also worked with Metallica and Rihanna! To add to the eclecticism, Micky Raphael, from Willie Nelson’s band et al, plays harmonica on the lead-off track, ‘Dark Night of The Soul’ (which sounds like it could have been a Merle Haggard song).
Somehow, the album manages to walk a tightrope between the Avett Brothers classic sound and elements of Patton’s earlier work. All three members contributed to the construction and shaping of the songs. Occasionally, the music falls off that tightrope but it always manages to make its way back. Avett fans will find plenty to recognise while Patton’s followers should immediately note his more muscular input.
‘Dark Night of My Soul, features Patton’s imposing voice and merging with the Avetts’ harmonies for an unexpectedly reflective opening. When Willie Nelson hears Raphael’s harmonica on this it would not surprise me if he decides to record his own version for his 105th studio album, no doubt due sometime next year.
‘To Be Known’, a ballad in the classic Avett mould, is followed by the fuzz-driven and ominous ‘Heaven’s Breath’, which sends the Avetts into new sonic territory with a dramatic finish. The delicate ‘Too Awesome’ gives way to the haunting refrain of ‘Disappearing’, orchestrated with soaring harmonies. ‘Eternal Love’ sees Patton and the Avetts sharing vocals as a scorching guitar riff briefly interrupts the arrangement as the song unfolds.
One delightful surprise is the folk classic ‘The Ox Driver’s Song’, recorded by everyone from Pete Seeger and Burl Ives to Australia’s Seekers. Here it is driven initially by what sounds like a processed banjo, building into a propulsive stomp with vocals delivered an eerie voice – sounding as if through a harmonica microphone – delivering menacing lyrics. Additional keyboard and drum programming augment the instrumentation and create a fiercely dense soundscape. At times it sounds as if this would be at home on a Robert Plant album. It is certainly the grungiest version of the song that I have ever heard.
AVTT/PTTN closes with two ballads which will draw Avett fansback in. ‘The Things I Do’ starts quietly with an acoustic motif and the lyric, ‘You don’t need to be reminded when you’ve fucked it up’, suggesting something darker to come – which it does, with intensity, as the voices float over the strings. ‘Received’ reinforces the Avetts’ strengths: magnificent harmonies, intimate lyrics, and a musical background that builds to a peak before quietly fading.
While it may seem one of the more unlikely collaborations of the year, AVTT/PTTN is an inspired project – one of the more interesting and compelling albums of the year – and it adds an extra dimension to the Avett Brothers’ sound, already the foundation of a truly great band.