Avalanches - Since I Left You on CD

Description

The Avalanches are a much-feted six-man crew of sample-addicts from down-under, whose debut album Since I Left You is a bargain-bin vinyl throwback to the Daisy Age. Their everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach is exemplified by their debut single, "Since I Left You", which opens the record with its wistful disco-samba shuffle and a scintillating sliced-and-diced soul vocal. The album is constructed like a mix tape and calculated to tweak the dance floor. Snatches of familiar rhythms bubble up throughout, giving the record a comfortable lived-in feel, but also betraying the fact that the group haven't dug very far through the crates to source their raw material. Vast chunks of records by Madonna, Art of Noise, Kid Creole And The Coconuts and Parisian hip-hoppers Saian Supa Crew are easily identifiable. There's little doubt that this kind of sample re-construction has become standard fare for retrogressive adolescents with a mania for collecting records and precious little musical flair. The Avalanches get full marks for their seamless mixing skills, but otherwise it all feels way too neat and tidy, bristling with its own inventiveness when it should strive for something that transcends its influences. For every innovator like DJ Shadow and Dan the Automator, there will be an avalanche of imitators. --Chris Campion Product Description Since I Left You is the debut studio album by Australian electronic music group The Avalanches, released on 27 November 2000. It was issued on Modular Recordings and produced by The Avalanches' members Robbie Chater and Darren Seltmann (under the pseudonym Bobbydazzler). The album uses sampling extensively, containing an estimated 3,500 samples from various genres of music. The album was created in two separate near-identical studios by Chater and Seltmann, exchanging audio mixes of records they sampled. Review Great Australian dance acts have been few and far between over the years but with the release of their debut album The Avalanches look set to redress the situation. A Badly Drawn Boy remix and one of their members coming runner up in the DMC Championships would lead us to believe that this band are not short on talent. However, even a cursory listen to their album Since I Left You brings with it the realisation that gold has been struck. Ploughing a wide furrow, this record draws on a history of influences from hip hop, funk, soul, and big beat. The filter disco of "A Different Feeling" contrast nicely against the lazy breaks and John Barry-esque horns of "Frontier Psychiatrist". Whilst their clever sampling of Madonna's "Holiday" on "Stay Another Season" compliments the sweet pop of their, Radio 1 A listed, first single "Since I Left You" undoubtedly making this the soundtrack to the summer of 2001. This accomplished debut and a forthcoming tour in the UK make The Avalanches one to watch this year. --Christian Hopwood