True Sadness - Avett Brothers

Well, I’ll sign on the line beneath my name, the road is gone, can’t go back the way we came

Divorce Separation Blues

There is perhaps no genre of music that conveys better the heartache of lost love than country music.  Beyond the most obvious classic, that old Tammy Wynette standby, D-I-V-O-R-C-E, many country music standards focus on heartbreak, loss of love and the end of marriage.  To the point it’s cliché and frequently joked about. You’ve heard it, “my life is a country song: my truck broke down, my dog died, my wife left me”.  The simple melodies, plaintiff crooning, guitars and slide guitars, the music’s very soul embraces the experience of divorce like a velvet glove.

Adding richly to this tradition is True Sadness, an album of songs by The Avett Brothers.  A seamless fusion of country, bluegrass, rockabilly and pop, this record was borne out of the sadness of a marriage lost and the happiness of a new love found.  It could be tempting to sink into intense melancholy, but many of the songs on the album are actually fairly peppy and upbeat, creating a listenable, road-trip worthy album, despite the pain that is sometimes conveyed when listening closely to the lyrics.  There is not a lot of bitterness or anger in the songs dealing with the divorce.  These songs touch upon regret, lingering love, tenderness and regret but also acceptance. 

Themes of travelling are dense in the lyrics to the songs of the albums, especially those of sailing, apt as divorce is a particularly turbulent journey to undertake across choppy seas with its literal waves of emotions.  To take port on the other side, one emerges new and wiser and there is a quality and sense of wisdom gained in these songs. In No Hard Feelings in particular, there is an emphasis towards how unconstructive bitterness and angry words can be, that it is better to move forward remembering the love and the good times. 

There are plenty of solid tunes on this album that make a solid contribution to the heartbreak genre but also a celebration to moving on and finding new love.  This is an album that will serve you well through all the transitions of your divorce journey, from initial breakup, dealing with all the damned paperwork and negotiations, right on to forging a new life of your own and finding new love.

Will my hands be steady
When I lay down my fears
My hopes and my doubts
The rings on my fingers and the keys to my house
With no hard feelings?

No Hard Feelings

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No Hard Feelings

Healing Factor:

4 out of 5 Guitars.