SotW: The Avalanches – ‘Frankie Sinatra’

In The Feedback Society’s SotW (Song of the Week) we take a look at one track that has us hitting repeat over and over again.

The Avalanches

‘Frankie Sinatra’

Album: Wildflower

‘Since I Left You’ was one of the best albums of the 2000s (and particularly expensive on vinyl these days), from a group of Australian musicians and crate diggers called The Avalanches. It would be a vast understatement to say that their latest album, ‘Wildflower’ has been wildly anticipated by music geeks. It’s been in the making since 2005. Unlike ‘Chinese Democracy’ though, we can guess that The Avalanches are actually perfecting and creating, not just getting lost in the woods of endless tweaking.

The first single from ‘Wildflower,’ ‘Frankie Sinatra,’ seems goofy when you first listen to it, but it quickly comes together and begins to worm its way into your brain like Ceti Alpha 5’s indigenous lifeform, much like the tracks on the last album (think of ‘Frontier Psychiatrist, for example). The song is fun, dipping it’s toes into a world music vibe. Though the album itself, while still pretty awesome, seems to have lost a bit of groove by trying to incorporate a lot of guest stars and vocals (MF Doom, Biz Markie Father John Misty, etc), rather than that cut and paste aesthetic they were so known for. However, it’s hard to ask a band to just keep repeating what they’re doing (and when you do you get Aerosmith or AC/DC) and we discover amazing new worlds by pushing the frontiers. I need to digest the album more to see where it stacks up next to ‘Since I Left You,’ but that’s a big album to live up to.

Check out the track and tell us what you think!

Tags: australian music, crate digging, guest stars, music, since i left you, song of the week, the avalanches, wildflower

About the Author

Craig Silliphant is a D-level celebrity with delusions of grandeur. A writer, critic, creative director, editor, broadcaster, and occasional filmmaker, his thoughts have appeared on radio, television, in print, and on the web. He is a juror on the Polaris Music Prize and the Juno Awards. He loves Saskatoon. He has horrible night terrors and apocalyptic dreams.