An Overly Effusive Review of “Since I Left You” by the Avalanches, 20 Years Later
I admit I’m getting old. I’m at the age where I regularly forget the exact age I am. And this means my preferences in music are becoming influenced by what I used to listen to when I was younger because they call back to a time when I was more impressionable.
But that said, there are a few albums that don’t just make me think back to when I was younger, but seem to have improved with age. I like them more than I did back then. This is a shame for the artists, because they probably got a bigger cut of record sales than they would now of streams, but it’s still worth mentioning.
One of these albums is Since I Left You (Google Play Music, Spotify, Apple Music) by The Avalanches, an album released decades ago in 2000.
I was intrigued to remember that The Avalanches is an Australian group. From my own madre patria! They’re even from my adopted city of Melbourne. And this was their debut album!
And boy, what an album. I’m not a big “electronic music” guy, statistically speaking. I don’t listen to many other groups or albums that could be described that way. I’m a guitarist and I have an appreciation for the analogue. That’s just context, not a criticism of any genre, but if you identify with that, you might understand why I like Since I Left You so much.
What sets Since I Left You apart is its flow and cohesion. Even though it was built from over 3,5001 samples (how would you even keep that database in your head??), the album moves with a grace that belies its complexity. It’s not just a collection of tracks, but a sonic journey that takes you on a whirlwind tour through a barrage of musical landscapes.
The album’s structure is constantly cyclical, with callbacks and recurring motifs throughout. For example, the title track’s wistful refrain of “Since I left you, I found the world so new” reappears in the closing track “Extra Kings,” creating a sense of narrative closure.
The sample of a horse whinnying (itself very “??”) in the second track comes back at multiple points, maybe most notably in “Frontier Psychiatrist”. This attentiveness to structure gives the album a cinematic quality, like a meticulously crafted film soundtrack.
The diversity of samples used is staggering. From obscure 1950s “easy-listening” records to snippets of movie dialogue, horse whinnies (again, “??”), and even golf instructional tapes, The Avalanches built a rich tapestry of sound that somehow coalesces into a coherent whole. Yet despite this eclecticism, the album keeps a consistent vibe — a kind of bittersweet nostalgia tinged with playful humour.
Take “Frontier Psychiatrist,” for example. It’s a bizarre collage of spoken word samples, turntable scratches, and brass fanfares that shouldn’t work on paper. I mean, just that description doesn’t sound at all like a song or something you’d want to listen to, let alone enjoy. Despite this, it comes together in a surreal yet oddly catchy track. I just want to get into their heads. What were they thinking?
But Since I Left You isn’t just about clever sampling. The Avalanches also mess with mood and pacing. Upbeat tracks like “Radio” and “Flight Tonight” are balanced by more introspective moments like “Tonight May Have to Last Me All My Life.” This emotional range is part of why the album has depth and replay value — there’s always something new to discover on repeated listens.
Basically, The Avalanches managed to create something entirely fresh out of swathes of pre-existing material. But they didn’t just repurpose old sounds; they reimagined them.
Over twenty years later, Since I Left You still sounds fresh — to my old ears, anyway. People say it has influenced many electronic and sample-based artists that followed, but I haven’t heard anything that has captured this album’s joyous spirit and meticulous craftsmanship. I suppose it’s as much about a specific moment in time — the optimism of the new millennium, before the onslaught of financial crises, war, and politics that would soon follow…
In an age of AI-generated mashed-up playlists, Since I Left You reminds me of the power of the album as a complete artistic statement. It’s a rare album worth listening to from beginning to end.