Part two of our three part series on the musical creations from these marvelous Australians. Our hero’s:
- Robbie Chater
- Tony DiBlasi
The Vibe:
Childhood Simplicity. First Loves. Long Summers. Tree Houses. Street Songs. The memories of someone else’s young life. Youthful exuberance. The imagined sweet past of a generation gone by. The 1960’s. 1968. The 1970;s. 1974. Even the 1990’s are recalled note by note, track by track.
How to Write a Music Review
As a side note, I came across this good article – sharing insights on how to write a music review here.
The Imagery in My Mind
- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup (Campbells) around the small kitchen table on Alameda Ave.
- A childhood dog named Marcello (an English Pointer)
- The 350 year old giant maple tree in the middle of our backyard
- The dirt road in front of our house and the truly odd assortment of houses and neighbors in Farmington Hills, Michigan
- Sweet and sticky summer
- And crickets at night
- And warm evenings and fire pits and walks to Bel Air Drugs for candy
Wildflower is the most delicious of the three collections by these patient and remarkable appreciators of yesteryear. They hear bits and pieces. And somehow in their collective brains something forms. Something comes together. A new piece is added. Ruminations. New pieces. New pieces.
I don’t know really how it happens even after listening to countless interviews and reading article after blog. I know these songs are made out of vinyl. And I know there is heartache. For the Avalanches you can add in some substance abuse issues. Fame. Adoration. A lifetime, really.
16 years went by. And Since I Left You became legend. Not forgotten. Revered. But was it a one-time thing? Was that all we were to get. Was it like a lesser and lovely group long lost to me called Industry (from New York, album: Stranger to Stranger), and we were to get one moment of joy only?
Mark Richardson in his album review from 2016 in Pitchfork Magazine helps us along with the tale of this record here. My favorite quote:
There’s nostalgia and loss ingrained in every bar, and you can sense the erratic movement of past, present, and future from the first listen.
Mr. Richardson goes on:
Their work continues to mine a deceptively narrow emotional world—new love, childhood playfulness, wistful sadness, happy feelings of connection—but renders it better than just about any music ever made.
The Track List
| Track Name | Artist | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Since I Left You | The Avalanches | 2000 |
| Because I’m Me | The Avalanches | 2016 |
| If I Were a Folkster | The Avalanches | 2016 |
| Colors | The Avalanches | 2016 |
| Magical World of Colors | The Wellingtons | 1969 |
| Zap! | The Avalanches | 2016 |
| Harmony | The Avalanches | 2016 |
| Everything That Touches You | The Association | 1968 |
| Fallin’ | Teenage Fanclub & De La Soul | 1994 |
| Alphabet Song | Sesame Street | 1970’s |
| Park Music | The Avalanches | 2016 |
| Living Underwater is Something Wild | The Avalanches | 2016 |
| The Wozard of Iz | The Avalanches | 2016 |
| A Leaf Has Veins | The Free Design | 1968 |
| Lost in Your Eyes | Tommy James and the Shondells | 1968 |
| Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey | Paul McCartney | 1971 |
| Saturday Night Inside Out | The Avalanches | 2016 |
| Interstellar Love | The Avalanches | 2020 |
If you have not listened to my show on the epic first record by The Avalanches click here: Since I Left You.
This is like super!!!!!
Like awesome!!!