Double Shot of Rock From The Cages and Birds of Avalon

I'm a self avowed sucker for British guitar rock. Give me some mop-tops, blown speakers, ragged guitars, and a killer melody, and I'm a happy man. I can't even tell you why I'm drawn to these British guitar bands, I just am. In this case, all it took to get my attention was the right address (London, England), an intriguing song title (ooh danger), and a screechy breakdown at the end that teeters on destruction. The Cages - Music Is Gonna Kill You [download] The Cages Credit where its due: Thanks to the rockers at Artrocker unleashing "Music Is Gonna Kill You" onto the internet. Admission number 2. I'm a sucker for power pop. As much as I appreciate bands that push rock music into new and exciting directions, I keep coming back to the old reliable. I think back to this discussion I had a few weeks back, when I was discussing TV On The Radio. My friend Scott and I, were of the agreement that they are a massively talented band, but at the same time we could think of no time, or no mood, when we would want to listen to TV On The Radio. I don't have that problem with power pop. If the suns outside and I feel like rocking, I'm going to dig into the collection and find something that pops. Today, that something is "Bicentennial Baby," by Raleigh's Birds of Avalon. It's a tune that sounds as if it could have been recorded during power pop's hey day during the Seventies. In fact, you could put this one in the middle of Cheap Trick's Budokan set, and the unfamiliar wouldn't even know the difference. Birds of Avalon - Bicentennial Baby [download] Birds of Avalon Birds of Avalon Myspace Volcom