AVTT/PTTN

AVTT/PTTN

AVTT/PTTN? More like WTF. Even when you consider Faith No More growler Mike Patton’s long history of outside-the-box collaborations with everyone from Björk to Sparks to The Melvins to John Zorn, this alliance with North Carolina folk-rock crooners The Avett Brothers could be the most unlikely. Then again, when you’ve spent your whole life dedicated to the art of transgression, what could be stranger than making something more traditional? From the opening acoustic refrain of “Dark Night of My Soul,” it’s clear that their debut as AVTT/PTTN is planted firmly in the Avetts’ brand of cinematic Americana. And for the most part, Patton plays the role of respectful houseguest, by leaning into the smooth, soulful baritone he first flexed on Faith No More’s cover of The Commodores’ “Easy,” and providing the extra oomph required to push rootsy power ballads like “Too Awesome” and “Received” over the top. However, his corrupting influence is given room to roam on the bizarro New-Waved rocker “Heaven’s Breath” (which sounds like Nick Cave covering ZZ Top’s Eliminator) and a gloriously gonzo rendition of the Pete Seeger standard “Ox Driver’s Song,” where Patton adopts the fire-and-brimstone affectations of a Southern preacher.