The Avalanches - No Bad Memories
Dial up for a bizarre, but fun time.
Thirty-one tracks, fifty-two minutes, twenty-three different features – the fourth album from Australian electronic group The Avalanches seems an intimidating prospect. The actual experience of listening to No Bad Memories, though, is a completely different story.
With The Avalanches having taken their typically significant break in between albums leading up to this one – it comes six years after the group’s third album, We Will Always Love You – it’s no surprise that there are plenty of new sonic ideas on this record. What’s to come is set up immediately by the first track, “Bd-R” – a 41-second track involving a myriad of unusual noises and synth sounds, plunging the listener into the weird, unpredictable, but ultimately endearing world of the album. This kind of short, atmosphere-creating interludes is a staple of No Bad Memories, placed at several points on the tracklist and adding extra layers to the experience. And even outside of those tracks, the structures keep you guessing at every moment, with abrupt switches appearing regularly throughout; while this does become disorienting quite often, that feeling seems intentional on The Avalanches’ part and contributes to the overall atmosphere. The central conceptual realm of upbeat, tech-heavy nostalgia and retro advertising is strong, remains consistent throughout and makes the album a very compelling listen in a deeply unique way – a trait that the group have been able to maintain throughout their discography, with each of their artistic evolutions.
The production, of course, is the central quality of No Bad Memories; outside of their typically great work with samples, the synths are also top-notch; they are incredibly dynamic and diverse, drawing from a variety of eras of music to play further into the nostalgic ambience as well as the sonic unpredictability of the record. Tracks like “Blue Shadows”, “All The Time In The World” and especially “Can’t Get Over Losing You” and “The Pavement Lights” are among the most atmospheric on the project. The overall soundscape is beautiful; the bright, shimmering production gives the LP an uplifting, hopeful feel, even with certain more somber undertones making their way in. Arguably the biggest downside musically is that it is a shame that some tracks aren’t longer – songs like “Under Yr Power” show great potential, and leave the listener wondering what could’ve been beyond its one minute and twenty-three second runtime.
The feature list, at first glance, is as bizarre as every other part of the album – the common ground from Jamie XX to Rivers Cuomo all the way to actor Haley Joel Osment is nearly impossible to place on paper. However, despite the guests’ many differing styles, they all have their own cohesive places on the wild ride that is No Bad Memories. Portraits of Tracy and Haroumi Hasono are arguably the standout features, contributing to the aforementioned highlights “Can’t Get Over Losing You” and “The Pavement Lights” respectively, but everyone involved plays their part well.
Overall, No Bad Memories is a really singular listening experience. Even in the event that the early tracks don’t immediately draw you in, or the glitchy, at times impenetrable quality of the music doesn’t feel like it’s for you, it’s more than worth continuing – as the record goes on, you can’t help but be mesmerized by it. It’s another quality entry into the enigmatic, multifaceted discography of one of the most interesting acts in electronic music.
8.2/10
