Customer Reviews

Since I Left You [Vinyl]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Avalanches are a DJ's dream come true -- six Aussies who took hundreds of sound snatches, and wove together a wildly playful kind of electronica. Their first (and so far, only) album, "Since I Left You," is a tangle of the delicate, the weird, and the incredibly danceable.

It kicks off with the sparkling "Since I Left You," but the best is yet to come. The Avalanches manage to attain both a typical "sound" and plenty of originality in their songs, such as the bleeps-and-horns "Different Feeling," the knob-twiddling basslines of "Radio," the sputtery dance number "Live At Dominoes," and the interference-laden Rastafarian rock "Flight Tonight."

But with all the dance tracks, the Avalanches have their softer side: the delicately upbeat "Two Hearts in 3/4 Time," the swaying "Electricity," the brief and staticky "Pablo's Cruise," and the gauzy, multilayered "Etoh." It rounds off with the majestically languid "Extra Kings," which has a long sweep of distortion and chaos in the middle.

It's almost too easy to dance to the Avalanches. They take almost a thousand mismatched sounds and manage to cobble them into some really brilliant music. What's especially brilliant is the way these patchwork dance tracks manage to find solid, simple grooves, and stick to them right to the end.

"Since I Left You" isn't perfect -- at times the fragments don't quite mesh together. Some parts are pure chaos, but oddly they don't mar the overall sound; instead, they enhance it. Scattered in amongst the melody is the sound of video games, horses, discos, golf instructions, flutes, pianos, and seagulls -- it adds a strangely whimsical sound to the dance music.

The vocals tend to be samples repeated over and over, just under the surface of the music. Among the vocal snatches are the ethereal "Since I left you/I found the world so new!" or determined "Book of flight tonight." So the lyrics are often quite simple, except for the hysterically funny "Frontier Psychiatrist" ("Lie down on the couch, what does that mean?/You're a nut! You're crazy in the coconut!").

"Since I Left You" takes hundreds of random sound fragments, and turns them into a mosaic. Fun, playful, fast and hypnotically bizarre, this is a must have for fans of quirky music.

I don't understand how someone could say that some of the songs are just filler with only half the songs being good. Every single minute of the song there is something fascinating/interesting/beautiful/funky/meaningful/whimsical/subtle going on, although not all at the same time. This is in my top 5 favorite albums ever, (along with miles davis, faust, etc.), and I listened to it all the time for like 2 years. I never got sick of it, but gave it a rest just in case I were to ruin the freshness. There are new sounds and loops that I notice in the cd 3-4 years down the road, which is simply amazing considering how many times I've listened to it. Listen to it loud at a party, but also listen to it with headphones sometime to check out the dozens of layers of sound.

All the samples sound warm, organic, live, natural, and beautiful. They are put together in a mindblowingly complex/subtle/unique way, and they have an EXPERT way of continuing things for the perfect amount of time. The whole cd is like one beautiful, ever changing song. This is the only cd I know of that is like this. I can't compare it to anything, seriously. If someone finds another cd like this, please let us know. This is the kind of cd that I could burn for just about anybody and expect them to enjoy it. It's funky/danceable as hell, it's got alot of depth to it, it's psychedelic in the way all the songs connect and the strange samples, it has MANY MANY layers to it that all sync up perfectly, it's extremely unique, very creative, and just plain wonderful. It's everything I would want in a dj/samples/collage/dance/electronic cd and more. Sort of the way Bitches Brew by Miles Davis was for jazz/rock/improvised music/funk, this album is for dance/electronic/sampled music. Uncategorizable, timeless, a mix of many different styles combined perfectly, and subtle. I can't say enough about this cd. I've gotten more enjoyment out of Since I Left You than I've gotten out of 20 cd's combined. You should get it, and if you're at all open or sensitive to what the hell is going on, you'll dig it immensely.

I stumbled onto this ablum by just taking a punt while I was in a record shop, by asking the guy behind the counter to suggest an amazing CD to me.

I didn't give the CD a good listen at the shop and when I got it home I was a bit disappointed (it sounded all scrathcy like an old vinyl and that irritated me) and didn't play the album again for about 6 months.

Then one day I took out the album and played again and was stuned at how brilliant it is.

This ablum is a trip in the true sense of the word. You will be taken on a journey of musical genius (yes the word does get used over much but these guys really are musical geniuses) that not only enertains but it also transports.

This album fuctions a bit like a bunch of fragmented memories, jumping from place to place within a loose framework.

Dazzling and amazing stuff.

...set to retro dancey disco/r&b/funk loops bass lines and beats. By sounds I mean samples, because I doubt there are any "real" instruments being played at all on this record. I just found it again, after thinking I lost it, but it has been buried in a box for the last three years. I love "radio" and tracks 7-10 (Close to you, Diners only, A Different Feeling and Electricity) because the beats are swirling and pounding, very pleasant on the ears. Nobody has heard this album, so if you put it on at a party, everyone will be asking what it is and complimenting your awesome taste in music. I can't believe the Avalanches haven't put another album out yet.

I can't get over this CD. It is literally amazing. Where these guys thought to incorporate these samples together blows my mind away. There are no words to describe this music. There is even a sample from Polyester by director John Waters. I am in awe of this CD. I buy a lot of CD's and this is the best one I've heard in a long time. Yeah, parts are scratchy, but that only adds to it's charm.

This is the best example of music and sound mixing that I have ever heard. Period. It is smooth and melodic and makes you feel like you are outside at the beach on a breezy summer's day. I love every song on this album.

It's an injustice that 8 years have now past, and the Avalanches have yet to release a follow-up to Since I Left You. As for why? Nobody knows. However, when artists set the bar so high, the pressure to re-create an audible masterpiece can be overwhelming.
The mash-up that is Since I Left You is unique, fresh and unattainable.

Their debut full-length release is nothing like any of their earlier EPs. People that are familiar with their earlier efforts might not warm-up to Since I Left You at first. If given a chance, it will infect you and end up as a staple of your musical diet.

This album exposes the enormous simplicities that are rampant within the electronic genre [Daft Punk to Norman Cook]. Since I Left You is the "Paul's Boutique" of electronica and ain't nobody gonna hold a candle to it.

This album demands to be heard all the way through. Loosely conceptional, sounds and themes emerge and reappear over the course of an hour filled with surprises and subtlety. Often the surface clicks and pops of the sampled vinyl serve to form very the bedrock of the rhythm track. As far as the horse is concerned, you'll just have to hear it for yourself...

It's a remarkably well balanced album. I think what the other guy(the one who couldn't recommend the album) inaccurately describes as filler is simply variations in depth. There are some deeper r&b moments, then shades of deep house, disco, and shades, and shades, and it just kind of goes on like that for the duration of the album.....And this group weaves genres together like kaleidescope making it all seem so workable. Great effort. Simply seamless. It takes some real talent to take great musical moments in history and them put them together in a way that does all justice.

Pop this on at a house party with a bunch of people. Those that want to dance can, those that want to chill will, and everyone will be comfortable and happy.

I heard "Avalanche Rock" by accident, loved it, and had to listen to the whole album. It's funky, groovy and flows together beautifully. Deff recommended.