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Birds Of Avalon Make MAGNET A Mix Tape

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We’ve name-dropped the Byrds, Polvo and Spirit when describing psychedelic-leaning Raleigh, N.C., quintet Birds Of Avalon, but listen for yourself below and come up with your own references. The band members—vocalist/keyboardist Craig Tilley, guitarists Paul Siler and Cheetie Kumar, bassist David Mueller and drummer Scott Nurkin—not only recently released their sophomore LP, Uncanny Valley, they also made MAGNET a mix tape. It included this note: “It probably wouldn’t quite fill up a 60-minute cassette, but you could always just tack on ‘Miles Runs The Voodoo Down’ from Bitches Brew to fill up the rest of side two!”

“Your Downtime Is Up” (download):

Mulatu Astatke With The Heliocentrics “Addis Black Widow”
David: The legendary Ethiopian pianist teams up with the London psyche jazz collective. It’s amazing what a little slap-back echo can do. It’s even more amazing what a lot of slap-back echo can do. This will probably show up as a Madlib sample by the time you finish reading this, if it hasn’t already.

Sun City Girls “Space Prophet Dogon”
Cheetie: The Harmattan transports desert vibes across the planet from Mali to Arizona. Guitar and voice in unison evoke a haze under the sheltering sky.

Pere Ubu “Navvy”
Craig: This 1979 release has already covered every ’90s guitar riff in the opening two seconds, then goes straight to crazy with a scary rhythm section and the schizophrenic singing of Dave Thomas on top, making you feel a little seasick. It’s a little uncomfortable and alluring at the same time, but the chorus lets you know everything probably going to be OK.

The Hollies “Clown”
Scott: Pretty sure this is Graham Nash’s ode to Bozo’s alcoholism.

Joni Mitchell “Free Man In Paris”
Paul: The obvious choice from the mighty fine Court And Spark. There’s something so L.A. summery about this. Cheech and Chong were part of this session, which puts it over the top! I’m always daydreaming about being at these tiki-torch parties circa ’70-’74 with Harry Dean Stanton, Peter Fonda, Joni—though I would probably wouldn’t like any of these people if I really had to be around them!

Minutemen “Jesus And Tequila”
Paul: While we’re in a summery SoCal mood … If this were playing, I would probably enjoy the people at this tiki-torch party a little more. Maybe John Belushi would show up!

The Sir Douglas Quintet “Song Of Everything”
David: Doug Sahm’s moody tribute to Big Sur. Swirling saxophones and a mind-bending flute solo (yes, really) twist against fuzz guitar and Sahm’s plaintive moan. A Texas tornado cutting through the redwoods.

Wire “Another The Letter”
Cheetie: A simple guitar line, synth loop and an insistent beat—and you have the perfect pop song clocking in at 1:07.

Simply Saucer “Instant Pleasure”
Craig: This minute-and-a-half piece of punk/synth/psych/pop squeezes the charm of early Syd Barrett with Hawkwind’s gift of making your mind take a solo for a few minutes while the band plays on.

Amon Düül II “Eye-Shaking King”
Cheetie: From the amazing Yeti. A thunderous regal stomp with some insane vocal effects!

Steely Dan “Any Major Dude Will Tell You”
Craig: This, like 99 percent of the Dan’s music, has the unique ability to make you want to listen to the rest of the album—right that fucking moment.

Phil Upchurch “Black Gold”
Scott: From the 1968 Upchurch record. He’s got a killer band including Donny Hathaway on piano and Morris Jennings on drums. This is the album opener replete with a full orchestra and choir backing.

Zapp “Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing)”
David: It’s pretty much impossible to be in a bad mood when this song is playing. Five minutes of harmonica, talk box and bass synths. Pure aural joy.

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