Search - Avalanches :: Since I Left You

Absolute joy

Eric McGill | San Diego County, CA, USA | 02/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Many people have speculated and argued about what kind of music is played on Hell's loudspeakers. I don't know the answer to that question, but I guarantee you Since I Left You is on a 24-hour loop in Heaven. This album is amazingly, unbelievably, mind-blowingly great. It is total and utter joy and freedom from beginning to end. Some people will tell you that this and that song are good, and this and that song aren't as good, and blah blah blah. They are wrong. Some parts of it may take a while to grow on you, but if you have any kind of soul it will happen. Besides, at its core it's not a bunch of different songs released on one CD, the way most albums are. It's one work and deserves, more than any other album I've ever heard, to be treated and listened to as such. It's well worth it.



This is undoubtedly the greatest album ever created."

Amazing

NikkiM | 03/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is refreshing, creative and moving, attributes that are rare in music these days. Everyone loves a catchy tune, and the Avalanches find a new way to entice you and move you in a new way. When I first heard this album I knew I wanted to hear it again. It is something you can listen to anywhere with anyone for any type of mood. This album definately has sentimental value to me because it brings back memories of a good period in my life, but that's not the only reason why it holds so much value. The music itself has the ability to create a mystical and mysterious vibe.

Frontier Pyschiatrist and Since I Left You are my favorites. Bound to make you move or chill you out, whatever you're feeling."

Avalanches = Incredible

tbez21 | 03/15/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Avalanches long-awaited full-length album entitled Since I Left You was released in their home country of Australia in 2001. This modern electronic group of four musicians, led by Darren Seltmann and Robbie Chater, used over 3,500 samples of previously recorded music and television sounds to create eighteen original tracks in an incredibly creative, yet enjoyable way. The album was a huge success in Australia winning an impressive four awards from the Australian Recording Industry Association, including "Producer of the Year" as well as both "New Breakthrough Artist" and "Album." It was also nominated in five other categories, including "Best Album" and "Best Single" for their hit "Frontier Psychiatrist." Since I Left You is absolutely deserving of this recognition.

The album begins with the song "Since I Left You," a title that suggests the Avalanches' original concept of the album of making it into a love story. The song progresses through a soft lyrical melody from singing samples and the oft-repeated line "since I left you..." The flute sample provides an interesting countermelody to the voices while a soft drumbeat keeps the song moving. The biggest strength to this album is how it each song flows into the next so there isn't any awkward seconds of silence between tracks; however it can be difficult at times to recognize when one song ends and the next begins.

The next fun track is number three, "Radio." The song begins with the word "radio" repeated over and over from left ear to right ear. The track then seems to personify what a radio does. The lyrics change to "sending those signals, those digital signals," which again repeats many times. The track makes use of more electronic sounding samples that further the radio feeling of the song.

Since I Left You continues to enthrall listeners over the next few tracks, but really leaves its mark with the hit single "Frontier Psychiatrist." This song is unique and catchy throughout its four minute, forty-eight second duration, and is arguably the only song whose lyrics most resemble the pop music heard on the radio today. The samples, taken from songs and television recordings, fit together and create a story, of sorts, about a crazy boy who gets into trouble at school. `Of sorts' because the lyrics aren't completely clear. The Avalanches produced a music video with this song that really established them as a premier electronic group and may be one reason why the song became so popular.

The Avalanches first full-length album Since I Left You is intriguing from start to finish. One characteristic of this group that makes them so impressive is that they seem to acknowledge the electronic artists before them as exemplified in their Theremin sample found near the end of track fifteen entitled "Summer Crane." For a group to be so successful, it is important to know where their genre came from as well as do what they can to stretch the envelope to further their type of music. The Avalanches are able to do all of this and more in an incredibly complete album that is entertaining from start to finish. Although the album did not follow the band's original concept of a love story, it did offer a nice ending by culminating the CD similarly to how it started. The final track, "Extra King," features slightly different return to the lyrics repeated in the first song, a satisfying conclusion to the album. The words "since I left you" won't leave you at the end of the Avalanches' incredible album."