Birds of Avalon

Birds of Avalon, along with celebrated producer Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Pavement, Wilco), powerfully blend psychedelic hard rock and power pop on their eponymous third release. These 11 dense and hard rocking songs feature intertwining riffs, pounding bass, and dexterous drumming, and the trippy production touches make the songs stronger and more interesting. The best tunes are built around sinewy guitar riffs that are alternately crunchy (“Golden Nose”), tough (“Xaradheere,” “Invasion”), intense and driving (“Pim Pom”), and loose and poppy (“Shadowy End”). At times, notably on “Xaradheere” and “Polysex Deathblog,” they briefly detour into jam- band territory yet never noodle around long enough to get bogged down or lose the structure of the songs. On the mellower side (relatively) are the instrumental “Particle Drag,” the melodic and hazy “Road to Oslo,” and the slinky groove of “& Moonbeams.” Dynamic and diverse, Birds of Avalon effectively borrows from a range of classic influences while claiming a sound of its own.