By which I mean songs you just can’t get out of your head, not necessarily because of lyrical content or musical depth, but because of a sound that hooks you.  I suspect it has something to do with repetition and viscerally-felt clapping or drum noise and the other things noted below. There are studies about why music is addictive – read more here and here.

1. Django Django  “Default”  (I especially love the auto tuney parts.)

Django Django – Default from Django Django on Vimeo.

2. Electric Guest  “This Head I Hold” (The trancey rhythm, falsetto singing and catchy lyric: “Don’t think / take drink”)

3. The Avett Brothers  “Live and Die”  (The chorus, tempo, rhymes and simplicity…life and death!)

4.  Lianne LaHavas  “Is Your Love Big Enough?” (“Lo-oo-oo-ve…”)

5. Kopecky Family Band  “Heartbeat” (Claps, finger snaps and “oo-oo’s.”)

Then there’s…
Delta Rae “Bottom Of The River”
The Lumineers ”Ho Hey”
The XX “Chained”
Martin Harley “Mojo Fix”
Ben Harper/Charlie Musselwhite  “I Don’t Believe A Word You Say“

Avett Brothers photo via http://www.theavettbrothers.com/official-photos/

Their latest is an album that continues to distance the band from their early image as a rambunctious bluegrass act and settle them into a place where craftsmanship takes center stage. Perhaps that’s where the title, The Carpenter, comes from (or maybe not) – but on this latest collection it really is about the songs. It’s something that Scott & Seth have always excelled at, but was perhaps easy to overlook because of how dynamic and engaging they are (and continue to be) in performance. The Avett’s are still as engaging as ever on The Carpenter, their approach just slightly remodeled.

To say that they’ve changed their approach is probably a fair statement, but it’s hardly a surprise. With I And Love And You, the band and producer Rick Rubin found success showcasing these guys as genuine songwriters. And while that may be the case, they’re far from subdued. These songs take flight, and tunes like “Geraldine” and “Paul Newman vs. The Demons” are reminiscent of early Avetts and still hold the potential to be barn-burners in front of a live audience. Yet what we saw on I And Love And You and even more so on The Carpenter is that there is a lot of charm to these songs. They can be bouncy and fun on a song like “I Never Knew You” and reflective and thoughtful on songs like “Through My Prayers” and “Winter in My Heart.” No matter the song, this band has such a dynamic personality infused in what they do – it just naturally shines through. The core to what The Avett Brothers have always done is write compelling songs; they accentuate that on The Carpenter. This is still the same band, just a bit more focused and really honing in on their strengths.

Listen to some of our favorite songs from the album below and watch the video they did in the tour bus at WXPN’s XPoNential Music Festival this past July.

The partial lineup for the 2012 XPoNential Music Festival—which will take place on July 20th-July 22nd at Wiggins Park and Susquehanna Bank Center on the Camden Waterfront—has just been announced. The headlining acts include Wilco, The Avett Brothers, Dr. Dog, and Counting Crows; you can check out the rest of the lineup below. You can get full ticket info on three-day passes, early-bird tickets, and benefits for WXPN members here.

*Wilco – The Avett Brothers – Dr. Dog – 7/21 at SBC
*Counting Crows – 7/22 at SBC
The Hold Steady
Kathleen Edwards
Diego Garcia
War On Drugs
John Wesley Harding’s Cabinet of Wonders
Patterson Hood
Mike Doughty
Ozomatli
Lee Ranaldo Band
JD Souther
The Lumineers
Good Old War
JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound
JD McPherson
Work Drugs
Delta Rae
City Rain
Matt Santry Band
Dana Alexandra
+ more

Photo by Richie Wireman

WXPN Welcomes Wilco, The Avett Brothers and Dr. Dog to the Susquehanna Bank Center on Saturday, July 21st. Wilco are headlining the show. Tickets go on sale today at 10AM EST. Purchase tickets here.

Almost a year ago after an Avett Brothers show in Boston, Paste had the pleasure of introducing Garret Dutton (aka G. Love) to the band and then stood by like a proverbial third wheel while they hit it off. Being a lucky fly on the wall, we learned how much the Avetts were inspired by G. Love’s early career with his ability to re-imagine classic “back porch” blues in a modern style, which helped the Avett’s believe they, too, could stay true to their musical heritage…So it came as little surprise when G. love—who had been looking for potential producing partners for his new album—asked the North Carolina-based brothers to join him at Echo Mountain Recording Studio, a beautiful converted church, in Asheville.

Hey, thanks, Paste! Unfortunately, the publication’s fly-on-the-wall status didn’t help them glean any insider information about the recording session, other than “by all accounts from both camps, the recording vibe was powerful, simple and honest.” So, fans of Mr. Cold Beverage will have to wait until the as-yet-untitled album drops next spring to hear the results. In the meantime, you can check out the video below, which was shot by Avett Brothers bassist Joe Kwon earlier this year during a rehearsal at Summercamp 2010.

The Fall – The Avett Brothers feat. G. Love from Joseph Kwon on Vimeo.