Birds Of Avalon

Bazaar Bazaar

[3.5/5] It was bound to happen: Neo-stoner bands have been raiding the Sabbath and Lizzy playbooks since before Fu Manchu told us the action was go. But Birds Of Avalon have decided the new black is Lou Gramm-infused, psych-jam rock that’s part Cheap Trick and part Allman Brothers. The smiley “Bicentennial Baby” gets the groovies going right out the gate, and the bell-bottomed boogie of “Horse Called Dust” would put a smile on Josh Homme’s face. But these Birds have more gears than a pacer with a bubble-songs like “Instant Coma” and “Think” are oozing with the kind of long-winded noodling that will inspire you to tap a Coors party ball and grow your hair out. The blazing closer “Lost Pages From The Robot Repair Manual” proves there’s a lot more to this flock of bovine rockers than simple nods to the wood-paneled days of yore. (VOLCOM) Casey Lynch