‘Since I Left You’ doesn’t appear to be about anything. The vocal samples are often inane, and there’s a goofy playfulness to the record’s shifts in motion. The Avalanches are above all else de- and re-contextualisers: surrounded by glitterbomb synths and a house glaze, lines like “sometimes you don’t understand, is it as good? understand” become enchanted. ‘Since I Left You’ is epistemically opaque and emotionally intimate: the effect is so fun because there’s a good chance it all means nothing. Over 900 samples* were seized and shot into this landscape, each one meaning something different to each listener. The takeaway is a yogic, physical and mental relief.
29/30
A favourite: ‘Frontier Psychiatrist’
*some say as many as 3,500
100 words music reviews 