American/Universal Republic

When The Avett Brothers worked with Rick Rubin on the 2009 breakthrough _I and Love and You _, many fans of the band’s stripped-down, rustic folk music feared the worst: a shined-up, overwrought Avett album. That wasn’t the case, but the North Carolina band did create a fuller, meatier sound, making them a headlining act amid a sea of acoustic, heart-on-sleeve, newgrass stars. The Carpenter picks up where I and Love left off – a more polished Avett sound, sure, but not miles away from the band’s ragged fan favorite, 2007’s Emotionalism. The Carpenter is a tight 12-track package – each string accounted for, without loose ends and the opposite end of the folk stratosphere from, say, Fleet Foxes. The Avetts let their songwriting strength speak for itself. Every melody is hummable, and most are memorable. An attempt at real rock and roll, “Paul Newman vs. the Demons,” comes out kicking, and the hushed “February Seven” is achingly
lovely, with piano touches. But the band largely stays in their comfort zone: harmony-laden, sincere and well-built roots music. The work of seasoned carpenters, indeed.