Raleigh NC’s Birds of Avalon are organizing themselves to step into the limelight with an upcoming self-titled album (through Bladen County Records) early next year. To prepare for the upcoming ordeal, the band has just released one of the new songs, “Invasion”, as a free mp3 download which you can, conveniently, download & listen right here. Rock.

For more information, read the official press below and tune into the band’s myspace.

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BIRDS OF AVALON was formed after guitarists Paul Siler and Cheetie Kumar split from The Cherry Valence to join forces with vocalist, Craig Tilley, and bassist, David Mueller. They soon enlisted Chapel Hill drummer/artist Scott Nurkin and quickly made a name for themselves with relentless touring in support of their ’07 Volcom debut Bazaar Bazaar, 08’s follow-up EP Outer Upper Inner and their final album for Volcom in ’09’s Uncanny Valley.

Having spent the better part of the past three years on the road with the likes of The Racontuers, The Flaming Lips, Black Mountain, The Fucking Champs, Mudhoney, Monotonix, and Ted Leo, BIRDS OF AVALON are road vets – a band’s band with one of the best live rock shows going.

Much of 2010 has been a transistional time for the group. Paul and Cheetie, along with co-owners Steve Popson (Polvo) and Ben Barwick (Ashley Stove), re-opened legendary live venue Kings Barcade. Siler also kept busy booking Raleigh’s inagural and highly successful Hopscotch Music Festival. All this on the heels of the amicable departure of vocalist Craig Tilley afforded the band an opportunity to re-evaluate and evolve their sound with a focus on group harmonies and a freer approach to writing and performing.

The band re-emerge this January 2011 rejuvenated on Portland’s Bladen County Records (the Love Language, Moneybrother, the Builders & the Butchers) with the overdue release of an album completed in early 2009. BIRDS OF AVALON’S forthcoming self-titled release is another analog-only collaboration with Mitch Easter (REM, Wilco, Pavement) at his Fidelitorium Studio. The record builds on the pop-aesthetic of Bazaar Bazaar but blazes new progressive trails while anticipating the psychedelic experimentation of Uncanny Valley. These psych nuggets are certainly poised to gain new fans and impress critics as the band expands beyond its previous 70’s inspired/ post-rock influences and looks to the future with greater abandon. Look for a vinyl release on New York’s Gigantic Music.