(t5!) Heroes Of The Zeroes Albums: #10: The Avalanches – Since I Left You (2000)

When we often think of one hit wonders, we think of the So-Bad-It’s-Good songs patronized by VH1, along the lines of Los Del Rio, Right Said Fred, or Baha Men. The truth is, while those are a huge part of it, it can also range across unexplained atypical successes, quintessential oddities, blockbusters so immense that it’s impossible to follow up, and songs specific to a particular time or culture. And “songs”—why is the term “one hit wonder” exclusive to songs? What about albums? If you include artists in the zeroes who had one remarkable album in their discography to achieve their fifteen minutes of fame, The Avalanches belong in the apex of the group.

Their only full-length, Since I Left You, is a delightful and clever medley of mashed-up beats, samples, smiles, and hugs. It doesn’t allow for an easy and clean classification of their style; instead let’s just say it has everything for everyone, from infectious hip-hop to filter disco house to sunny Caribbean to nostalgic 80’s pop. It doesn’t allow for straightforward traces of inspirations, but we hear everything from DJ Shadow to Daft Punk to Cornelius to Basement Jaxx to Boredoms to Wu-Tang. Since I Left You grabs morsels from extremely contrasting genres and ever so unlikely sources and blends them into a unified, splendidly delightful album destined to scorch the dance floors. It’s a hit. It’s a wonder. It’s…umm…one.

The Since I Left You Wikipedia entry states that the cut-and-paste experts from Melbourne used 3500 samples. 3,500!!! That’s a ridiculous reality to mull over since the majority of people in the world don’t even have 3,500 songs in their iTunes library. Raekwon, Sergio Mendes, Francoise Hardy, Madonna, Prince Paul, and a multitude of silver screen finds all arrive and depart in break neck speed that it’s no wonder the end result can sound so spontaneous. Even when the samples and textures seem incompatible when listened to individually, The Avalanches make it sound like they’re destined to be stitched together. What’s more awe-inspiring is the presence of spoken word, neighing horses and howling monkeys and making it sound fresh rather than a stale production habitually used in cheerleader competitions. One thing I’ll say to The Avalanches: “You’re a nut! You’re crazy in the coconut!”

As far as I’m concerned, the most important qualifier for one-hit wonders is when you can be pretty certain that you’ll never hear something like it ever again. 2 Many DJ’s As Heard On Soulwax series endeavored to walk a similar path with less obscure samples, so did Girl Talk and DJ Z-Trip in collaboration with DJ P; unfortunately, they haven’t matched Since I Left You’s heavenly arrangements and flawless sample selection. We haven’t even heard a peep from The Avalanches again since they left us (yeah, I went there). But it’s probably best that way. Because they’ve been silent all this time, Since I Left You remains frozen in time, using nostalgia to their advantage and growing more wonderful as years go by.