The GleamTitle: The GleamLabel: Ramseur RecordsGenre: Blue-grass, CountryReleased: Sept. 19, 2006Rating: * * * *

Shorter in length but deeper in emotion, Scott and Seth Avett have put the foot stomping on hold and sat down for a heart-piercing, raw acoustic, six-track musical memoir — The Gleam.

Just shy of 22 minutes, The Gleam teeters between an EP and an album. The composition of songs offers a reflective view on life and divulges deeper into their personal thoughts.

Opening with “Sanguine” — the most poetic track title to date — the lyrics are simplistic and flow in a natural, organic concord with the guitar chords. Taking away the fierce energy exhibited on previous albums not only cuts down broken strings but also displays their often-masked, high level of technique and song writing. The brothers continue to sing songs of love and drinking, but this time in a more intimate approach. They pass on advice given from their parents and confess to letting alcohol bring out the worst in them.

“Yardsale” is the most raw and personal track. Drastically slowed down, the song attacks what seems to be a painfully emotional occurrence in life, while exhibiting the capability of the brothers’ lyrical composition.

The addictive melodic harmonica is still present with the familiar and friendly bluegrass-country tune in “Backwards with time.”

The backbone of the album is “If it’s the beaches”. Starting out slow, the lyrics lure you in, depicting the ever common theme in so many of the brothers’ songs — love, or a failed love.

A combination of violin and guitar — with an almost Spanish-Flamenco style — creates a romantic ambiance, slightly masked by a sound clip of which sounds like a pleading voice message from a female lover. A somewhat awkward transition between audio clip and musical instruments poses a threat to the song’s climax but is saved by strong piano chords. The chords carry the song to the end while an Avett-posed-romeo grants wishes of beaches’ sand, mountains’ bending rivers and skipping town.

Closing the album with “Find my love”, the Avetts again examine the concept of love and loss. Keeping it simple in both instrument arrangement and theme, the only new feat tackled with the closing song is an attempted falsetto. When listening to the song apart from the others it seems odd and lacking, but in context to the other tracks it is complimentary.

The gentle, delicate shrill of the word “love” leaves the listener with an eerie, placid sense of completeness — an accomplishment for a brief, six-track release.