The Avett Brothers, “The Third Gleam.”

Following the mixed reception of their 2019 LP, Closer Than Together, The Avett Brothers newest record, The Third Gleam, takes the group away from the more experimental sounds they are known for blending into their folk and bluegrass songbook. The record, longer than an EP but not quite an album, is actually a. continuation of a series the band began in 2006 with The First Gleam and in 2008 with The Second Gleam.

Marking the return of longtime friend and bassist Bob Crawford, Seth and Scott Avett deliver an arrangement of musing tracks that dwell on an array of harrowing subjects before transitioning into a more uplifting and spiritual second half.

Contrasting the interesting lyrical content of each song is the unfortunate homogenization of sounds the album provides. Every track is relatively soft and easy listening, led with with acoustic guitar. There’s nary a flourish beyond a tame use of bass, percussion or anything else for that matter. That isn’t to say it’s bad, but much of the record is carried more so by The Avett Brothers’ introspective storytelling than the musical quality of the project.

Songs like “I Should’ve Spent The Day With My Family” and “Prison To Heaven” offer up some of the darkest elements of The Third Gleam. The former details the emotional distress of the narrator learning of a mass shooting occurring near his hometown and becoming unsettled when he finds that one of the victims reminds him of his son. The latter follows an inmate who is so desperate to escape the confines of his prison that he rationalizes that he wouldn’t mind death as an alternative, contemplating how his interactions with Saint Peter and God would unfold before the heavenly gates.

“Back In The Light” serves as a turning point to the more upbeat divergence in the album. The song explores the nature of the Jungian Shadow, where the narrator articulates how he finds himself struggling to fight back the darker thoughts that come into his mind. “It’d make sense if some was made to me/ Sometimes I don’t see love in anything/ And just when I surrender to my shadow/ I snap out of it, and step into the light,” The Avett Brothers sing.

The song offers a respite from the limitations in which emotions may hold over everyone at a given time.

In contrast, “Untitled 4” and “I Go To My Heart” take on a more personal philosophical question of finding happiness within oneself, disregarding all worldly and external influences as imperative to defining who oneself is. Without getting too pretentious, it harkens to the traditional Greek philosophy of Cynicism, made famous by the “Mad Dog” Diogenes of Sinope; where followers rejected material possessions and disregarded societal norms in favor of leading fulfilling lives by means of embracing a sort of naturalism.

The album closes out with “The Fire,” which evokes spiritual essence of fire in an entirely metaphorical sense. Switching between the perspectives of a child, a prisoner, a college student, a preacher, an old woman and the narrator’s spouse. Each finds something within the fire, whether it’s a bright future, an alternate life path, insecurities, the influence of the divine, what was long lost and the memories of those hurt by their hand.

The Avett Brothers deliver a quaint and rustic rumination on the human condition, carried with a sincerity and humbleness that is affable even amid the more somber moments on the record.

Follow Tim Hoffman at Twitter.com/hipsterp0tamus.