Avett Brothers - I and Love and You Deluxe Box + Limited LP

The Avett Brothers put out one of my (and I'm absolutely serious with this claim) top-10 albums of the past 5 years with their last full-length, Emotionalism. The level of songwriting that this band has achieved is astounding; From lyrics, to melody, to performance, the Avett Brothers have left me in awe. I got an e-mail last week that alerted me to the fact that they have a new, Rick Rubin-produced album coming out, I and Love and You. NPR was streaming their entire album to preview for a week (which is nearly up) and I took a few moments to check out the first track (I like to drive home and listen, not sit at the computer)... and I'm intrigued. On one hand I am fearful that they will never be able to live up to the perfection that I found in the last record, but at the same time I really couldn't care at all. Whatever the Avett Brothers put down to wax will be better than 99% of everything else released this year, and I love their flaws as much as I love their brilliance.

Enough gushing, lets get down to the good stuff. This time around, the Avetts have branched out and are jumping on the trend of uber-fan deluxe box sets. Their offering includes:

• Limited Edition 12" x 12" Linen Covered Box with Gold Foil Print

  Two CDs: Standard 13 Song Album and 6 Song Demo Recordings (Exclusive to Box)

  I and Love and You on Double, 180 Gram Vinyl. Sleeve Artwork Exclusive to Box

  31 High Quality Lithographs: Artwork by Scott and Seth Avett,
  Photographs by Crackerfarm and Lyrics to All Songs

  Bandana: 22" x 22", 100% Cotton, Featuring Artwork by Scott Avett

  13 Premium DRM-free (320k) MP3 Tracks

  Premium DRM-free (320k) MP3 Download of "I and Love and You" (Single)
  immediately upon purchase

Going for a steep $89, I am most likely going to have to sit this one out... and kick myself down the line, as I normally do when I pass something like this up.

However, for those with a more reasonable amount of spending money, you'll be pleased to find out that the Avett Brothers continue their recent streak of vinyl pressing (well, if a streak means one record, the EP The Gleam II) by releasing a full-length LP on vinyl for the very first time. $25 is a bit more palatable to me... though the alternate artwork of the deluxe set is tempting. You can find I and Love and You at Amazon or your favorite indie-record shop (save the Indies!!!)