Album Notes

"Down by Avalon frontman Alan Martin writes about relationships with the wisdom of someone his age... he considers life and love with energy inherited from singers like Van Morrison, Ray Davies and Paul McCartney. [The band] matches Martin's outlook with its arrangements and accomplished playing. Built ground-up from simple rhythms and developed with tasteful guitar leads and Dan Bryk's omnipresent piano and organ flair, Down by Avalon is an elegant, precise pop production. The layers are simple and direct like Stiff Records perfection, and the harmonies are spare but like a distillation of so many '70s charms." -Grayson Currin, The Independent

"Chapel Hill, N.C. quartet Down By Avalon steer clear of modern bells and whistles and find solace of the simplicity of the ‘60s and the ‘70s for its debut. Like last summer’s next-big-things Peter Bjorn and John and I’m From Barcelona, Down By Avalon seek to let relatively unembellished melodies do the talking, and the end results reflect a deep admiration for traditional pop music. However, though the band prides itself in its ability to write classic pop music, the real strength lies in the warm, folk, almost hippie vibe it projects into and onto the listener. Down By Avalon’s debut stands as a reminder that music is not merely about the arrangement of notes or words, but about the feelings it brings when listened to." -Melinda Hanna, Performer Magazine