Album Reviews

Hidden away in the forests and wetlands of southern Ontario, you can sometimes spot AVEM. This Canadian trio first made its way on my radar through their split with Cobra and the Daggers, but ‘Three Birds Stoned’ is my first full-length encounter with this bunch. When they aren’t out birding, AVEM sings songs about birds as well as human lived experiences told through the perspective of birds.

Yes, this sounds like a gimmick band, but there’s no denying that this album is chock-full of slick, highly melodic punk rock songs. About birds. They take cues from the likes of Screeching Weasel and Teenage Bottlerocket, so you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect going into this one. But even though they aren’t reinventing the genre, AVEM has taken the Ramonescore formula and flew with it.

Album highlights come in the form of AVEM’s sel-titled battle cry, ‘Mother Nature Really Sucks’, ‘No, Homo!’, ‘Just Like Me’ and the doo wop stylings of 'Nigel', but honestly… there is hardly any filler to be found throughout the album’s whopping total of 19 tracks full of buzzing guitars, sweet melodies and catchy choruses.

Do yourself a solid and give ‘Three Birds Stoned’ a spin!

Three Birds Stoned track list:

1. AVEM    
2. Rat Race    
3. Let's Go Watching    
4. Mother Nature Really Sucks    
5. Keep You Safe    
6. Red Winged Blackbird    
7. No, Homo!
8. Pre Suburban Paradise
9. Happy Hummingbird    
10. Just Like Me    
11. It's Such A Mess (I Don't Know How You Live Like This)    
12. Snowy Owl    
13. Nigel    
14. Really Gotta Go    
15. Calling Card    
16. Martian Wren    
17. Rotten Egg    
18. Blue Jay
19. Sing Every Day