Wildflower
The Avalanches
(EMI)
Three stars
The last time that Australian production crew The Avalanches released an album, George W Bush was yet to assume office in the United States; NSYNC were on top of the charts; and Sony's PlayStation console had only just evolved into its second iteration. But finally, 16 years later, after a hiatus and album gestation of almost Guns N' Roses proportions, we have the follow-up to their well-received debut Since I Left You.
How to regain relevance after so long away? Simple: recruit a bunch of guest vocalists, from zeitgeist-surfing to enduring cult favourites. In many ways, the guest list on Wildflower tells you all you need to know about the modus operandi of The Avalanches, with almost equal portions of right-on hip-hop and head-in-the-clouds indie-rock.
It all starts rather encouragingly. Because I'm Me, featuring New York rappers Camp Lo, rocks a perfect summer sheen and horns aplenty, like a long-lost Jackson 5 track given a modern makeover.
The album's first single, Frankie Sinatra, takes a step back from that initial two strides forward, however, with a whiff of second-hand Gorillaz, right down to its seemingly nominal appropriation of an American cultural figurehead (Clint Eastwood, anyone?). Even tight verses from American rappers Danny Brown and MF Doom, plus a Sound of Music-tastic helping of My Favourite Things, can't elevate it.
That’s the opposite of what we find on the rest of the album, though – it is mostly at its best when aided by the guests, while the heavily sample-based, more instrumental numbers drift past with all the lasting impact of aimlessly retuning a radio dial.
What we're left with, then, is a roll-call of vocals-embellished highlights: The Noisy Eater features golden age hip-hopper Biz Markie delivering a cartoonish rumination on decibel-heavy noshing; Stepkids is an almost cutesy, dreamy ditty with the voice of Jennifer Herrema from scuzzy American lo-fi rockers Royal Trux. Elsewhere, Ariel Pink, Father John Misty, Toro y Moi and members of Mercury Rev and Silver Jews keep interest levels ticking over for indie nerds.
With 21 tracks across more than an hour, it appears that when their creative renaissance began, the band had trouble putting a cork in it. Had they cut the running time and focused only on guest-led cuts, Wildflower might have been a flab-free comeback to re-announce The Avalanches in style. As it, after such a long time away, you suspect only the most devoted fans will be salivating.
aworkman@thenational.ae