The Avalanches 'No Bad Memories' review: excessive and overstimulating by design

The opening click of a Nokia ringtone echoes across a dimly lit room, its metallic chirp cutting through the low hum of a crowded club. In that instant, a group of strangersfellow listeners, strangers who have never metare pulled into a sonic collage that feels both familiar and alien. The sound that follows is the first track of The Avalanches’ latest LP, No Bad Memories, and it is a whirlwind of samples, voices, and an uncanny mix of nostalgia and futurism.

The album’s 31 tracks cram 52 minutes of audio, a density that can feel like a breathless sprint. Each song is a snapshot, a collage of sounds that range from the experimental timbres of Suzanne Ciani to the indie swagger of Karen O and Panda Bear. Even the production side of things is a roster of eclectic names: Jamie xx and Barry Can’t Swim provide polished, groove‑laden backdrops, while the unmistakable voice of Mike Patton of Faith No More and a rare cameo by Carly Simon add unexpected layers. The breadth of collaborators is matched by the sheer volume of samplesdozens of voices, snippets of commercials, and the clack of a hard drive and mouse click that punctuate the tracks.

The album’s central motif is advertising. The Avalanches weave snippets of commercials and early digital sounds into the fabric of the music, turning the familiar into art. On “Together”, the iconic Nokia ringtone is repurposed into a half‑garage, half‑hyperpop beat, while on other tracks the whir of a hard drive or the click of a mouse becomes a rhythmic pulse. This use of advertising is morally ambiguous: it celebrates the creativity of branding while simultaneously critiquing its omnipresence. The result is a listening experience that oscillates between joyous and despondent, mirroring the tension between capitalism’s allure and its dehumanizing aspects.

One of the album’s defining traits is its erratic pacing. A track may begin with a soaring synth line that feels almost cinematic“Total Recall” is a prime exampleonly to be abruptly interrupted by another commercial sample that throws the momentum off balance. This chaotic shift can be jarring, but it also mirrors the unpredictable nature of memory itself. Yet when the music is allowed to breathe, the impact is profound. “Blue Shadows”, led by Karen O, drifts into a shimmering melancholy that feels like a quiet lull in a storm. “Can’t Get Over Losing You” showcases Portraits Of Tracy’s heart‑on‑sleeve vocal over a pop‑driven beat, while John Glacier delivers a razor‑sharp flow against a backdrop of rushing percussion on “Far Away”.

The Avalanches’ ambition is clear: to create a soundscape that is both excessive and overstimulating, mirroring the relentless barrage of media in contemporary life. The album’s breadth is both its strength and its flaw. While the sheer number of collaborations and samples can overwhelm, it also offers a rich tapestry that rewards attentive listening. The album is evidence of the group’s willingness to push boundaries, even if that means risking listener fatigue.

• 31 tracks in 52 minutes
• 20+ collaborators, including Suzanne Ciani, Karen O, Panda Bear, Jamie xx, Barry Can’t Swim, Mike Patton, Carly Simon
• Heavy use of advertising samples and early digital sounds
• Chaotic pacing with abrupt interruptions

I’ve always believed that art should mirror life’s chaos, and No Bad Memories does just that. Its relentless energy and relentless sampling feel like a digital echo of our own memory lanes, where every click, ringtone, and ad jingle is etched into our consciousness. As the final track rolls out, the album leaves listeners both exhausted and exhilarated, a fitting reminder that memorybad or goodremains a complex, ever‑evolving soundtrack.