Birds Of Avalon - Birds Of Avalon
Birds Of Avalon
Birds Of Avalon
The release of this album must come with a huge sigh of relief from Birds Of Avalon. The North Carolina-based quintet finished tracking the LP back in the early part of 2009. Thankfully, time hasn't dulled the impact of their work on this stunning work. The self-titled disc finds the band's creative energy in full flower with a melding of pop and psychedelic rock that must have thrilled the album's producer, Mitch Easter, as it feels like an extension of his work with his ’80s-era outfit Let's Active.
Birds of Avalon's sound, though, is more expansive than Easter's band or their contemporaries. These 11 songs have a decidedly harder edge, even if it is softened a bit by Craig Tilley's poppier vocal strains. Behind Tilley, the rest of the band ride some deep space grooves with the dual guitar lines of former Cherry Valence members Cheetie Kumar and Paul Siler weaving together and pulling back for a disorienting and galvanizing experience.
For such a dense album, the songs are as streamlined as they could get. The band don’t mess with overdone post-production techniques or needless overdubs apart from the occasional bit of organ or keyboard work. They play to their strengths as an awesome live band, which allows them to tear through shapeshifting rockers like “Road To Oslo” and the head-nodding, Eastern melody-influenced “Pim Pom” with precision, energy, and narcotic looseness.
Bladen County http://www.bladencountyrecords.com
