The Avalanches - Since I Left You

The creation of dark and spectral soundscapes seems almost de rigueur for electronica artists. Not so for the Avalanches, a six-member DJ ensemble from Australia. In fact, the group's debut, Since I Left You, was the most feel-good slab of sample-centered electronica to come down the pike in ages. Though tied to house, trance, and other styles of the postmodern DJ tradition, this album presents a sense of openness, naivete, and promise. Familiar dance samples, childlike voices, choral refrains, funky breaks, and a gentle, oddly soothing avant-garde clutter are dominant here.

In no way is the record simple-minded, however. The Avalanches construct dense sonic tapestries; between the simultaneous beats, multiple samples, vocal clips, and flourishes of live instrumentation, it is difficult to discern where the band's meticulous architecture leaves off and the sparkling aural dream begins. In an age where "everything's been done," and the most interesting artistic forms stem from recombining pre-existing snippets of culture, the appearance of an album that makes something bright and hopeful from that same aesthetic is both startling and welcome.