The Avalanches

During the nineties, Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins made the rather naïve statement that is ‘rock is dead’. While I disagree with this statement to a certain extent, believing myself that rock is only in a persistent vegetative state, I do feel that the time is drawing nigh when the life support machine of old Neil Young records is unplugged and, and the grand old duke of rock draws its last. The perpetrator of this evil crime will be the Avalanches.

‘Since I Left You’, the ‘band’s’ first album is described by Q magazine as being ‘(constructed) from other peoples records. The title track, released as a single, is undeniably catchy, but appears to be some else’s song, taken wholesale, and garnished with miscellaneous nubbins of noise, in such a way that would make Fat Boy Slim cringe in shame. By this reckoning, a leading East Coast rapper could just recreate a famous song’s instrumental backing, rap over the top, and et voile, international hit, without the writing ability. Oh, wait a minute…

Which leads me on to their second prominent single, ‘Frontier Psychiatrist’, which was created by the group’s leader, Robbie Chater, when he was eight, using Soundblaster 16 software, and access to his fathers record collection. It wasn’t? It was made last year? It took six of them to make it? Hold on, that is worrying for the future of song writing, that the musical equivalent of welding two half of written off cars together to create a new one.

As far as I can see, the current alternative music scene is overly concerned with being original, at the expense of any real creative thought. The art of crafting a memorable and if possible life-affirming piece of music is being sacrificed for some misguided desire of the music media to get to say ‘Oooh, shiny’ and be there from the beginning. Any of the great musical developments of the last century happened because they needed to happen, not because some journalist got fed up with guitar chords.  And it seems sweetly ironic that the music being praised for being forward thinking is based on using old songs. Remember, necessity is the mother of invention… not being interviewed by Kate Thornton.