The Avalanches - Since I Left You

The Avalanches - Since I Left You

(Modular; 2000)

The Avalanches are an Australian electronic group who are one of the most well-known artists in the genre “plunderphonics.” Now, what the hell is “plunderphonics?” Basically, this genre involves taking clips from a bunch of recordings, and combining them all together to create a new song. So it’s essentially a genre with its entire foundation based in sampling. You can kind of think of it like a musical collage of sorts. A lot of hip-hop, old school hip-hop in particular, technically falls under this umbrella of plunderphonics, but the term is generally used to describe artists who exclusively use sampling, with no original vocals/rapping added on top of it. This has led a lot of people to describe some of the most well-known artists in the genre as instrumental hip-hop, like DJ Shadow and the Avalanches themselves.

            Since I Left You, however, stands out among a lot of other artists in the genre, simply because of how ambitious the record is. This record across its 18 tracks boasts an estimated 3,500 samples. Yes, you read that right: 3,500 samples. To me, the sheer amount of sampling that goes on this record is mind-blowing. I picture the Avalanches digging around in old record bins finding the perfect sample to compliment the rest of their songs. And that’s the incredible thing about this record: if you didn’t know the album was composed of that many samples, you would never know it. That is because the songs come together amazingly well as songs. It’s hard to imagine that the different components of each track were not recorded all at the same time, since each track is simply so well composed as a song. Despite the fact that they’re all samples, each track on Since I Left You sounds like full-fledged electronic tracks, and are very easy to enjoy. This isn’t some complex IDM record that throws polyrhythms at you from start to finish; Since I Left You is a really enjoyable, yet straight-forward dance record.

            As for the sound of the record itself, Since I Left You pulls off a staggering feat: putting forth a set of tracks that are all highly diverse in their sounds, while pulling all of them together to create a singular tone. I like to think of the album as an exotic trip, with each destination having its own character and feeling. The band themselves give some legitimacy to this concept, as Since I Left You was originally created as a concept called “Pablo’s Cruise,” the story of which involved a man chasing a girl around the world, but consistently being one step behind her. Each track has its own distinct sound and rhythm, and the albums pulls together a wide variety of emotions, both upbeat and melancholic. Since I Left You also deviated from the traditions of dance music at the time; rather than focus on big, heavy drum beats, the record derives a lot of inspiration from music from the 60’s, like the Beach Boys and other popular artists of the time. On top of that, the songs are ridiculously catchy and danceable, and it’s not uncommon for me after listening to this album to have a song or two stuck in my head for the rest of the day. It pulls off a balancing act by not only being very accessible and danceable, but having a lot going on compositionally at the same time. I seem to pull something new out of the record every time I listen to it.

            Long and short of it, Since I Left You, beyond the fact that its ambition and sheer magnitude are massive – I mean seriously, how did these guys pull this record off? – is a really great electronic dance album. The songs are great, it’s a really diverse record that is never boring, and it’s probably one of my favorite electronic albums of all time. This is a record that I think any music listener can enjoy, and is absolutely worth your time to listen to.