Birds of Avalon
Outer Upper Inner (Volcom)
By Emily Becker
Published: May 6th, 2008 | 1:15pm
If you want to embrace your inner prog-rocker, look no further than Raleigh, North Carolina’s Birds of Avalon whose six song EP Outer Upper Inner journeys to the Outer Banks of indie rock. Birds of Avalon do not exist solely to noodle on guitar — they always balance their experimentation with hook-filled melodies. Along with mercurial vocals from Craig Tilley, the dual guitars of band founders Cheetie Kumar and Paul Siler (who are happen to be married) flesh out the sound atop a solid rhythm section featuring bassist David Mueller and drummer Scott Nurkin.
Outer Upper Inner follows the Birds’ 2007 full-length debut, Bazaar Bazaar. Rock elder statesman Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Helium) produced both albums. “Measure of the Same,” kicks off the EP using upper register harmonies reminiscent of the Hollies, without damning the band to mining a shelf of dusty oldies. “Earthbound” sounds like an unlikely cross between Yo La Tengo and Cheap Trick, but it works. On “Hazy 98,” piano and saxophone play off a background of shoe-gazey effects, yet Tilley’s slightly sweet vocals anchor the song.
On “The Reeds,” Tilley’s vocals turn nasal and, along with the metal-esque guitar line and heavy bongos, the result is trite and predictable. The jam-band inspired “Keep it Together, Thackery” ends the record well. Though it’s about a boy losing a girl again and again, with lyrics such as, “This is the worst goodbye so far / Girl, don’t you tell me / that it’s come to tears / after all these years,” the song finishes with an unexpected and welcome whirl of feedback.
Although they stitch disparate, and often easily recognizable, elements together, Birds of Avalon breathe enough new life into what they borrow to make Outer Upper Inner well worth the trip.
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Bird of Avalon Official Website
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