Avalon

Avalon is Roxy Music’s swan song, the album that brings 10 years of mad revelry and musical theater to a close. Where the band’s 1972 debut portended many of the trends that would dominate the '70s, its 1982 farewell encapsulated the decadent poignancy of the '80s even before the decade was properly underway. Avalon is luscious and expensive and slightly wearied. Roxy prefigured the highs and lows that would define the impending era. Gauzy and groovy, “More Than This” and “Avalon” are two of the jewels in the band’s catalog and two of the best love songs of the '80s. At a time when new wave was reducing pop music to its flashiest trends, Roxy made modern synth-pop tunes that carried the wisdom and sophistication of the great jazz standards. The album stays true to its tone: “India,” “Take a Chance with Me," and “True to Life” are every bit as fragile and gorgeous as the two hit singles. Avalon feels both elegiac and affectionate. In a manner appropriate for one of history’s most romantic rock bands, Roxy delivers its final album like one last long kiss goodnight.