Ronan O'BrienThis month marks 10 years since The Avalanches released their sophomore album, Wildflower. 16 years from their debut, the sample masters delivered another fantastic display of their talents.
The Plunderphonics
Before The Avalanches, Robbie Chater, Tony Di Blasi and Darren Seltmann formed a punk group called Alarm 115. The Melbourne group disbanded before the members began toying with samples and creating demos in university. Quickly growing in popularity, the group released a number of EPs before embarking on a successful tour supporting Public Enemy.
The group’s first studio album Since I Left You was released in 2000 to universal critical acclaim. Since its release, the album has been lauded as one of the finest examples in its genre. Composed entirely on two samplers, the album has stood the test of time and still remains as one of my all time favourites.
For many, the possibility of The Avalanches releasing a second album remained an exciting prospect. However, this faded as the years went on. Following a long 16 year absence, The Avalanches returned with the highly-anticipated Wildflower, released in July 2016.
Off His Rocker
Opening with a ten-second, film sample-heavy “The Leaves Were Falling“, the mood is set. Almost like a radio tuning into frequency, it’s almost like a field recording.
Without skipping a beat, the atmospheric opening continues into “Because I’m Me“. The 1959 song sample and uplifting melodic loops are exactly what to expect from The Avalanches. The mood is brought to a new level with Sonny Cheeba‘s verses, which are full of youthful anecdotes. It feels like the type of song you’d bounce to walking down the street. Extra points if you’re using a Walkman.
Seamlessly transitioning into “Frankie Sinatra“, the 1947 calypso sample changes the tone in phenomenal style. Danny Brown features in his usual oddball style. His flow melds beautifully with the bouncing tuba and it’s addictive. MF Doom is another surprise feature, whose flow contrasts that of Brown’s, but again it somehow works. The instrumental break is a nod to “My Favourite Things“, before crackling to a finish.
“Subways“ sees a return to The Avalanches sample-heavy style with their unique stamp. Floating melodies and chopped vocal lines make it another fantastic listen. Layering samples by CHANDRA and The Doobie Brothers, it’s more evidence that the lads are magicians when it comes to their art.
Another smooth transition into the next track, “Going Home“, helps keep the mood stable. A spoken-word sample is introduced, which sees Jean-Michel Basquiat narrate lines from the poem, Genius Child.
No Shit!
Returning to more radio tuning, “If I Was A Folkstar“ maintains the bright melodies. Much of this album feels like a sun-kissed road trip, and I love that. Vocals are provided here by Toro Y Moi, another fantastic talent in this genre. Narrating beautiful landscapes and existentialism, his soothing vocals are cushioned by the breezy instrumental loops.
Transitioning into the late evening comes the mellow “Colours“. A reversed vocal sample provides the majority of the lyricism here, courtesy of The Sandpipers. Encoded in the sample is a beautiful message, “Where there’s a heartache, there must be a heart”. Further vocals are provided by Mercury Rev‘s Jonathan Donahue, who fits effortlessly into the relaxed mood.
Flowing into “Zap!“, it’s a sample-heavy interlude that uses scenes from 1980s film. From the 1984 Streetwise to the opening scene of Foxes, it serves as a mood stabiliser into the late night before ending on the early morning.
The morning comes with another television sample opening “The Noisy Eater“. Biz Markie raps through the verses, almost in the style of a cereal ad jingle. The heavy commercialised sound reminds me heavily of “Superfast Jellyfish“ which I absolutely love. Adding to the jingle is a child choir reciting “Come Together“, which works in a weird way.
The outro extends into the title track “Wildflower“, adding in another film sample. The commercial ends with soft melodies and a return to Jonathan Donahue‘s pillowy vocals.
One, Two, Three, You and Me
The pitched up samples of “Harmony“ provide more inspiring feelings that make listening a breeze. Layered samples ranging from Sesame Street to DJ Kay Slay add to the backbone of the song, which is a further sample of a Guys & Dolls cover. The harmonies performed are beautiful, almost in a perfect Beach Boys style.
Flipping the script back into a hip-hop led track comes “Life A Lifetime Love“. With guest rappers A.Dd+, the duo’s flows add so much to the track. Not that it required a whole lot, with Robbie Chater really showing off adding instrumentals to an already reversed vocal sample.
Using more samples from the American Juggalo documentary comes “Park Music“. A short sub-minute track that retains the same twinkling melodies the majority of the album is based around.
“Livin’ Underwater (Is Something Wild)“ is another sample-heavy display using vocal clips of “Water Woman“ and “Uncle Albert“. The flowing melodies and mixing techniques are both utilised to utter perfection, adding to that feeling of being immersed by the ocean.
The Tommy James & The Shondells vocal sample transitions into “The Wozard of Iz“, maintaining the same beauty. The title is a very clear homage to the electronic genius that is Mort Garson, which I think is brilliant. Danny Brown makes another appearance, this time more composed. Without disturbing the atmospheric melody, his verse adds his signature fervor to great enjoyment.
Orixá, Orixá
The mood transitions beautifully into the interlude, “Over The Turnstiles“. The sixties elements are easy to hear, from the use of Everything Is Everything’s “Witchi Tai To“, flowing into the next.
The joyous feelings burst into the blissful “Sunshine“. What feels like a bright, happy track with its soulful melodies, the twist comes with the introduction of stormy sound effects. Despite the melancholy, it’s still a fantastic track to keep things swaying.
Delving further into the sixties soul comes the elegant “Light Up“. Serving as yet another transition in the album, the sparkly chimes and doo-wop vocals bridge the gap between these vocal sample pieces.
“Kaleidoscopic Lovers“ is aptly named as it feels like a multitude of tracks playing simultaneously. Borrowing snippets from The Beach Boy‘s “Caroline, No“ and a return of Jonathan Donahue’s soft vocals, it soothes the soul once again. It very cleverly acts as a part two to his early appearance in “Colours“.
Flowing effortlessly into what sounds like an alternative indie track from the noughties, “Stepkids“ features an innovative mix of samples with live instrumentation. With Jennifer Herrema’s slightly raspy vocals coupled with the live strings of Warren Ellis, it works in a way it shouldn’t. But that’s The Avalanches’ forté, right?
Excluding the extended mix of “Frankie Sinatra“, the album ends on a high note with “Saturday Night Inside Out“. Opening with poetic spoken vocals by the legendary David Berman, the track evolves into an instrumental masterpiece. Feeling more like a stream of consciousness, the mood projects exactly what a song by The Avalanches embodies. Beautiful melodies, insane sample work and a feeling of tearful joy, it reminds me why I love this album so much.
Final Thoughts
In case I haven’t spoken about how much I love The Avalanches enough, I need to reiterate how good they are at what they do. When it comes to using snippets upon snippets of tracks and clips to make a melody, they are the benchmark. As well as that, the end product is more than just a song. It’s a feeling, of both joy and melancholy somehow.
Naturally, their debut album was a classic. New, fresh and unquestionably enjoyable… How on earth were they meant to follow it up? Let alone come back on the scene after nearly two decades and expect to even compete with their masterpiece? Yet somehow they did, and continue to do so. I will admit however, that I was not as huge on their third album, We Will Always Love You. It’s still worth a listen I might add.
All that being said, The Avalanches will forever live as one of my favourite artists in this genre and Wildflower is a huge part of that.
