Think of Magpie and the Dandelion not as a sequel to its predecessor, The Carpenter, but as that album's other half—both records were drawn from the same batch of sessions with legendary producer Rick Rubin. Here, Rubin again makes certain nothing gets in the way of the Avetts' ample, unpretentious musical virtues: an earthy, inviting mix of alt-country and folk-rock and straightforward, introspective songwriting. Whether they're offering a stately, piano-led love letter like "Good to You" or celebrating the joys of a gypsy soul in the gamboling "Open Ended Life," The Avett Brothers deliver a handful of irresistible charmers on Magpie and the Dandelion.