That rarest of album news, fresh information on a new record from The Avalanches, has been spotted in the wild.
Though each passing year seems to contain a new rumour that the Australian mashup maestros will finally be releasing the long-awaited follow-up to their legendary 2000 debut LP, Since I Left You, the last 12 months have at least shown the most promise that the 14-year absence will be broken soon enough.
Whatever the results of the mythically overdue new album, The Avalanches are now officially a duo – and have been for some time.
The news comes via Aussie singer-songwriter Sally Seltmann, who revealed in a recent interview for Herald Sun‘s Rock City column that her husband Darren Seltmann is no longer a member of the group.
“He’s not in The Avalanches any more, nobody seems to pick up on that,” Seltmann says of her producer partner ahead of touring her album next month. “Album sounds awesome, but there’s no dates or anything planned…”
An update from Modular, The Avalanches’ label, adds: “Yep, Darren hasn’t been in the band for a while, so officially the band is Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi right now.”
Modular also tease (as they have since as far back as 2006) that the new record is sounding good: “Album sounds awesome, but there’s no dates or anything planned. The official line is ‘stay tuned’.”
The label aren’t the only ones to at least confirm that the album actually exists.
In an interview last September, ahead of this year’s Laneway Festival, co-founder Danny Rogers remarked, “I’ve heard people who’ve heard it and people were very positive about it.” Adding: “I’ve been waiting as long as you have… I’m hearing a very, very, very, very good rumour that it’s going to come out [2014].”
Despite the lack of a full record, there has at least been some new music from The Avalanches to surface in various forms in recent years.
In August 2012, a tune called ‘A Cowboy Overflow Of The Heart’ was unceremoniously dropped online, featuring the distinctive sonic stylings of Since I Left You; abstract spoken word poetry read over a soundscape of cheering children, light banjo, and twinkling xylophone – all under the warm crackle of hazy vinyl.
Last May, The Avalanches were one of a handful of artists to contribute music to the King Kong stage musical, and also contributed a remix of Hunters & Collectors track ‘Talking To A Stranger’ for Mushroom Records tribute album Crucible, released last August.
Last year, Modular hinted at a “February 2014” release for the Since I Left You follow-up, confirming “30 songs done and mixed.” The Avalanches
Herald Sun‘s Rock City also points out that it is likely to contain guest appearances from soft-rock impresario Ariel Pink, hip hop gremlin Danny Brown, and could even be a double album owing to working titles Friday Night Fever and On A Saturday.
As if you needed any proof of the Avalanches’ cultural currency, Since I Left You not only polled in year-end lists from tastemakers such as Pitchfork and Slant Magazine, but remains a beloved record to Australian audiences; charting in the top ten of both the industry ranked publication, The 100 Best Australian Albums and Triple J’s Hottest 100 Australian Albums Of All Time.
