Wildflower
The Avalanches
Modular Recordings, 2016
Wildflower manages to meld psych-folk, hip hop, rap and disco to create a nostalgic album. This is a dreamy journey through the history of music. Indeed, Robbie Charter, the group’s central member, said: “I often think about every radio station playing all at once and every singer from every era, all these radio transmissions floating into outer space. From John Lennon to Elvis, they’re all floating around up there in the ether.”
Unlike Since I Left You, the new album brings rap and hip hop into the mix, featuring Danny Brown, MF Doom and Biz Markie. The Avalanches have enlisted contributors including Camp Lo, Jonathan Donahue, Warren Ellis, Jennifer Herrema, Father John Misty, Paris Pershun and Toro y Moi.
The rap tracks, “Noisy Eater” and “Frankie Sinatra”, are so bizarre they are comical – puzzle pieces that don’t fit. The rest of the album flows well though.
In “If I Was a Folkstar”, the muffled sounds of people chatting create a landscape for the listener. “Colours” is similar – a psychedelic tune created with back masking and turntablism, it sounds like Animal Collective.
The single, “Frankie Sinatra”, should be commended for its ingenuity. It combines an oompah beat, 1940s carnival and Danny Brown’s pungent rap stylings. Though it’s too strange, and the listener strains to compute it all, after a few listens it does start to worm its way into your heart.
Wildflower creates summery vibes and a chill sense of forward propulsion at leisurely pace. It’s like walking through a packed party, catching different snippets of conversation and music, though occasionally some Bozo [Danny Brown] comes along and gets all in your face – it’s never dull.
