The Birds of Avalon Head To Uncanny Valley

Raleigh, North Carolina's the Birds of Avalon continue to reinvent themselves and the wheel as they progress through time and space. Going from a post-grunge band to a band that was reminiscent of Of Montreal, the Birds have now strapped themselves to sheets of LSD and blasted off into space. Having left our Earthly confines, the band is now somewhere out there in the heavens floating around dreaming of riffs and seeing sounds float by. Miraculously, while on their trip to regions beyond comprehension, the Birds managed to record their experiences on their latest album, Uncanny Valley.

Uncanny Valleyis an album so rooted in 70's psychedelia that it should come wrapped in a pair of flares. Sounding as if it were recorded somewhere in a field in 1973, Uncanny Valley is a raw, rocking record that takes it's power chords throws them into a vat of fuzzed out amplifiers and then runs them through an echo chamber just because they can. Birds of Avalon have created a tripped out, universe spanning adventure that'll blow your mind and your eardrums. Put it this way, ff the phrase 'Tune in and Drop Out' was still relevant today, this would be the saying's soundtrack.

Epic, trippy, and packing a very powerful punch of heavy rock, Uncanny Valley is quite a good record. Not only does it prove the Birds of Avalon to be one of the most diverse bands on the planet, but it also demonstrates how convincingly good they are at writing any kind of song their hearts desire. To think that this band was once compared to the Shins (by me) is simply stunning because the Birds are so far out in left field compared to those guys it's unimaginable at this point. I love the fact that the Birds have stolen a space shuttle and headed off into space with only their instruments to keep them company. If there's intelligent life out there, the Birds just might find it and present them with an eternal jam session.

The Birds of Avalon's ability to create mesmerizing jams and riffs that sound like they've been orbiting Mars is truly a tribute to this bands ability to adapt and react to anything and that's why Uncanny Valley succeeds.The Birds of Avalon are really quite good at what they do and whether it's the almost metallic riffing of, "Spirit Lawyer," or the blissed out floating in space sounds of, "I Never Knew," Uncanny Valley is a trip into space that doesn't cost $200,000. For just the cost of a CD (or Itunes) you can set off on orbit around Mars and take in the mind-bending sounds of The Birds of Avalon. It's worth every penny, trust me.