Since I Left You

Rolling Stone (11/22/01, pp.86,89) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...As sunny as an Australian summer, harnessing a wide range of music...with the new toy joy of early sampling-based rap and a dance-music sensibility....true talent." Spin - "The densely layered cornucopia of dazzle (a thousand samples from hundreds of records) is the end product of 18 months spent combing Australian thrift stores for used vinyl." Entertainment Weekly (11/9/01, p.111) - "...A restless, ever-morphing collage of R&B, pop, and rock samples....exhilarating..." - Rating: B Alternative Press (2/02, p.74) - 8 out of 10 - "...A kaleidoscopically surreal groove machine with a heart..." CMJ (11-12/01, p.71) - "...Headphone nirvana..."

Endless summers for many youths dont consist of beaches and surfboards. Instead, theyre spent on blacktops and jungle gyms. More gritty and halfway between the curb and the hoop than anything celestial, the Avalanches remind you of a point in your life when you could blissfully hang upside down from monkey bars and just dangle. Like recklessly riding your BMX or skipping rope after downing a sugar-laced pitcher of lemonade, the un-mawkish Since I Left You thrives on making you feel youthful and mighty. Its Utopian grove stand bric-a-brac of grooves, beats, flutters, whistles, oohs-and-yeahs, and sundry animal noises can alternately sound familiar and fresh. Some origins can be immediately placed, and those that cant trigger an impulse that youve heard it somewhere before. Youre at least familiar with the tone as it relates to a long-lost feeling of childhood bliss -- whether its staring at a clear blue sky from a fresh-cut lawn or the first time you heard Rock the Bells. If you want stifling touchstones, theyre there. Dunk the Beastie Boys of Pauls Boutique and Basement Jaxx into the fountain of youth; Sylvester meets Tweety; Mercury Rev links hands with the Bomb Squad for laps around the roller rink. Its no cloyed nostalgia trip, pieced together humbly by Aussies who are probably telling you the truth when they say they listen to a little bit of everything. The unflinching mix offers plenty of tempo variety, knowing just when to change the pitch before hitting overkill. The second half features a subtle lull that builds up in time for Live at Dominoes, possibly the strongest cut. Theres little doubt to Since I Left Yous status as one of the most intimate and emotional dance records that isnt vocal-based. It works on an almost mystical level. Dont be too surprised if a future dig through the wallet unearths a membership card to the Summer Break Funk Association. ~ Andy Kellman