Since I Left You, released on 27 November 2000, is the debut album by Australian electronic music group The Avalanches, and until 2016, their only one officially released.
Produced by members Robbie Chater and Darren Seltmann, it continued a change in sound for the Avalanches; while their previously released EPs did have elements of their later work, they were technically rap works. Instead, this album was made with over 3,500 samples of vinyl records bought by Chater and Seltmann, and carries a more dance-oriented energy.
Figuring nobody would bother listening to it, they had no plans for an international release, and thus were very lax in regards to copyright (the Australian version and the other international versions released the next year have some notable difference in certain samples; most apparent in "Frontier Psychiatrist" and "Extra Kings").
Despite Chater and Seltmann's doubts on the album, Since I Left You received critical acclaim, resulting in an international re-release once the samples were given clearance. It's since gone on to sell over a million copies, and is considered one of the greatest achievements of both Australian musicnote and plunderphonicsnote , and is often compared to another similarly fully sample-based album, DJ Shadow's Endtroducing...... However, while that album could be seen as a collection of songs, Since I Left You's tracks are so interconnected that, despite lacking any original vocals, it feels like nothing short of a musical journey.
Tracklist
- "Since I Left You" (4:21)
- "Stay Another Season" (2:19)
- "Radio" (4:23)
- "Two Hearts In 3/4 Time" (3:22)
- "Avalanche Rock" (0:23)
- "Flight Tonight" (3:51)
- "Close To You" (3:55)
- "Diners Only" (3:56)
- "A Different Feeling" (4:23)
- "Electricity" (3:29)
- "Tonight" (2:20)
- "Pablo's Cruise" (0:54)
- "Frontier Psychiatrist" (4:48)
- "Etoh" (5:03)
- "Summer Crane" (4:39)
- "Little Journey" (1:36)
- "Live At Dominoes" (5:39)
- "Extra Kings" (3:45)
Principal members
- Bobby Dazzler (Robbie Chater and Darren Seltmann) - Choir, chorus, guitar
- Robbie Chater - Samplers
- James De La Cruz - Turntables
- Antoinette Halloran - Vocals
- Gordon McQuilten - Pianos, percussion
- Sally Russell - Vocals
- Darren Seltmann - Brass band, vocals, samplers
These tropes need therapy
- All Psychology Is Freudian: "Frontier Psychiatrist" has Word Salad Lyrics that parody this trope (like referencing the Freudian Couch).
- Book Ends: "Extra Kings", both instrumental and lyric-wise, acts as a counterpart to "Since I Left You"; the woodwinds for the instrumental aspect, and the lyricism aspect both feature a vocalist singing about the effects of leaving someone. While "Since I Left You" portrays this as a breath of fresh air ("Since I left you, I've found the world so new"), "Extra Kings" has a vocalist sing "I've tried, but I just can't get you/Ever since the day I left you" as the song and by extension the album fades out.
- Call-Back/Call-Forward: Some samples that are prominent in earlier songs make cameos in later ones, while samples that are relatively minor in an earlier track become more utilised later on in the album.
- For example, the sample heard in "Summer Crane" is reprised at the end of "Extra Kings".
- Fading into the Next Song: It's a gapless album, and all the songs transition into the next. Unfortunately, there are some abrupt changes on a number of versions of it, due to the overlapping parts being samples that couldn't be cleared.
- Frontier Doctor: The titular "Frontier Psychiatrist," which contains many samples of a bit by comedy duo Wayne and Shuster (the particular version used in the song is taken from the radio broadcast).
- Genre Roulette: It's hard to exactly pin down a genre for each individual track. The only exceptions are "Live At Dominoes" (House), "Etoh" (Trip-Hop), and maybe "Frontier Psychiatrist" (Hip-Hop with a mix of Classical).
- It Will Never Catch On: A rarer example of the group itself thinking this about their work.
- Last Note Nightmare: "Two Hearts In 3/4 Time", a lovely, calming, bubbly song, fades into discordant blip sounds and chaotic drumming before segueing into "Avalanche Rock".
- Lighter and Softer: When compared to Endtroducing....., the other main staple of plunderphonics. The former is very stark and moody, whilst Since I Left You is far more uplifting and celebratory.
- Looped Lyrics: Due to the sampling nature of the album, any discernible lyrics are looped for a majority of the song.
- Mind Screw: The music video for "Frontier Psychiatrist". "Since I Left You", as well.
- Miniscule Rocking: "Avalanche Rock" at 23 seconds and "Pablo's Cruise" at 54 seconds.
- Mondegreen: The lyric to the Title Track sounds like it goes "Since I Left You." However, the original sample, "Everyday" by The Main Attraction, actually says "Since I met you."
- One-Woman Wail: Played With in "Electricity"; it's actually multiple wails by the same woman layered over each other.
- Radio Song: "Radio".
- Sampling: Over 3,500 of them. To name a few…
- The quote under the page image is from the song "Rosemary", which itself is from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
- The dialogue at the beginning of "Frontier Psychiatrist" is from the film Polyester.
- Siamese Twin Songs: "Since I Left You"/"Stay Another Season", "Flight Tonight"/"Close to You"/"Diners Only", and "Etoh"/"Summer Crane"/"Extra Kings".
- Stop and Go: Done twice in "Close to You".
- Surreal Music Video: The music video for "Frontier Psychiatrist" depicts a mock orchestral performance of the song, in which every performer in the orchestra is based on a different sample. This includes actors portraying the audio play characters, a turtle with an old man's head, a skeleton scratching a shellac record with an old gramophone like a DJ, a drummer in a monkey costume, a dancer in a pigeon costume, and a talking set of dentures in a glass of water.
- Voice Clip Song: The main chorus of "Frontier Psychiatrist" samples different parts of an old Wayne and Shuster skit in this manner. The "verses", so to speak, also sample various spoken word records.
- A Wild Rapper Appears!: "Flight Tonight", with a sampled appearance from the Saian Supa Crew, who were a French rap group.
- Word Salad Lyrics: "Frontier Psychiatrist", fitting when you consider the song's theme.
