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Wildflower

The Avalanches

Wildflower

Second album from the Melbourne plunderphonics trio coming sixteen years after their critically acclaimed debut Since I Left You

ADM rating[?]

7.9

Label
Astralwerks
UK Release date
08/07/2016
US Release date
08/07/2016
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  1. 10.0 |   The Independent

    An album that seethes with positive energy, a vacation for the weary soul
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  2. 9.2 |   AU Review

    This is an astonishing record
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  3. 9.1 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    Is Wildflower the best album of the year? Probably not. But it was made by one of the most influential artists of our generation. Take note
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  4. 9.0 |   PopMatters

    If music can be a salve for the soul in deeply troubled times, then it doesn’t get much better than this
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  5. 9.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Less carefree than its older brother, and perhaps not as superficially loveable, but far more intriguing, and one of the most tender, peerless and genuinely strange albums of recent times
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  6. 9.0 |   The Quietus

    Another out-of-its-time, forensically assembled wonder. Lightning rarely strikes twice, but 16 years slash those odds
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  7. 9.0 |   Uncut

    They now have more in common with the wide-eyed, lysergic explorers of an earlier generation. Print edition only

  8. 8.5 |   Beardfood

    It’s an incredible amount of fun, and that’s all that matters
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  9. 8.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    It takes just seconds for Wildflower to dispel notions of any hard-left stylistic swerve
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  10. 8.5 |   Pitchfork

    Their work continues to mine a deceptively narrow emotional world—new love, childhood playfulness, wistful sadness, happy feelings of connection—but renders it better than just about any music ever made
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  11. 8.3 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Since I Left You is their album, the following 16-year echo chamber was their performance of it, and Wildflower is the encore
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  12. 8.3 |   A.V. Club

    Wildflower treads pleasantly cool water in a babbling brook of ghostly choral voices, fluttering woodwinds, and pastoral folk sketches
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  13. 8.1 |   Paste Magazine

    It took a childhood-and-a-half to come to fruition, but Wildflower is another album that snatches elements from the past but sounds like the future
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  14. 8.0 |   The 405

    Wildflower might not be perfect, but it is gorgeous, heartwarming and fun. Its upbeat outlook is infectious and sure to be the soundtrack to many summers to come
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  15. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    Wildflower is a real testament to the tenacity of the Avalanches, and one we're truly grateful for
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  16. 8.0 |   Under The Radar

    A testament to the craft and time it takes to build such a seamless and joyful record
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  17. 8.0 |   God Is In The TV

    The Avalanches haven’t quite made their second masterpiece, but Wildflower largely justifies the wait and is a perfect record for anyone looking for an hour of escapism. Some might say that, their timing couldn’t be better
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  18. 8.0 |   Resident Advisor

    Nothing about Wildflower is new, flashy or remotely fashionable—its only concern is to adorn everyday life in the untarnished colors of music
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  19. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    At its best, Wildflower is a joyous journey, from If I Was a Folkstar’s hippie reimagining of Daft Punk’s Face to Face to Sunshine’s heavenly orchestral soul
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  20. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    Not as revolutionary as their debut but a damn fine and fun ride nonetheless
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  21. 8.0 |   The Observer

    A pastoral, wistful brand of psychedelia holds sway throughout this absorbing record – even though Wildflower is, to all extents and purposes, a retro hip-hop album about smoking weed
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  22. 8.0 |   DIY

    It needed to take something substantial to feel satisfied after those sixteen long years, and The Avalanches have gone beyond their calling
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  23. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    The Australian trio’s long-awaited return brings no radical changes to their style
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  24. 8.0 |   Slant Magazine

    A foggy sound that reveals its splendor and shape over time. And after waiting so many years, it's worth the extra patience to let Wildflower sink in
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  25. 8.0 |   FasterLouder

    This is a celebration of pop music, using pop music to create pop music
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  26. 8.0 |   Spin

    Where Since I Left You mapped a plaintive longing onto a travel agency’s idea of heaven, Wildflower is designed for comforts of no special ambition
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  27. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    It may not set out to change the world, but Wildflower is a beautifully crafted album that inhabits the light and makes sense in the sun
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  28. 8.0 |   Q

    The whole album flows like a rainbow-hued river, animated by a spirit of generosity and wonder. Print edition only

  29. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Far from being frozen in time, Wildflower shows a willingness to move forward with a sense of personal history, but unhindered by obligations to it
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  30. 8.0 |   Gig Soup

    The Avalanches have retained the same ability to combine the romantic, psychedelic pop samples with Beastie Boys-like hip-hop beats and make something beautifully elevating
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  31. 8.0 |   NOW

    At worst the album gets a bit too cutesy (lead single Frankie Sinatra), but its unrelentingly cheery harmonies and melodies are so effervescent that it practically makes the air sparkle
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  32. 8.0 |   Mojo

    A similar patchwork of poppy hooks and quirky vocal snippets. Print edition only

  33. 7.7 |   Earbuddy

    Deftly utilizes sounds and clips from different eras to create something meaningful and immediately listenable in modern times
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  34. 7.5 |   Spectrum Culture

    Any Avalanches album would require repeat listens—thankfully, that’s not the only reason you’ll have a hard time turning off Wildflower
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  35. 7.0 |   All Music

    By focusing on outsiders instead of trusting their crate-digging genius, the Avalanches shortchanged themselves and ended up making the best psychedelic Chemical Brothers album ever instead of making another classic Avalanches album
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  36. 7.0 |   The Music

    If you took heaps of acid and thought you could 'hear' a kaleidoscope, it would sound a lot like Wildflower
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  37. 7.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    Wildflower isn’t going to shift any paradigms, and it’s not going to leave the same impression on the world that Since I Left You did all those years ago, but none of that makes it any less of a delight to listen to
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  38. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    What still sets the Avalanches apart, besides their careful groove pacing, attention to detail, and uncanny ability to move you from inside a track to outside looking in, is their sweet sense of nostalgia
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  39. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    Essentially, this flower could've used a little more judicious pruning
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  40. 6.0 |   The FT

    The album suffers from a loss of focus, its good mood dwindling into sun-dappled psychedelic whimsy, a gently diverting reverie
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  41. 4.0 |   Crack

    For all its energy, its long gestation has left it feeling a little too stale.
    Read Review

  42. 4.0 |   NME

    How can something that took so long sound so, well, meh?
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  43. Back to main chart

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The Avalanches: Wildflower

  • Download full album for just £8.49
  • 1. The Leaves Were Falling £0.89
  • 2. Because I'm Me £0.89
  • 3. Frankie Sinatra £0.89
  • 4. Subways £0.89
  • 5. Going Home £0.89
  • 6. If I Was a Folkstar £0.89
  • 7. Colours £0.89
  • 8. Zap! £0.89
  • 9. The Noisy Eater £0.89
  • 10. Wildflower £0.89
  • 11. Harmony £0.89
  • 12. Live a Lifetime Love £0.89
  • 13. Park Music £0.89
  • 14. Livin' Underwater (Is Somethin' Wild) £0.89
  • 15. The Wozard of Iz £0.89
  • 16. Over the Turnstiles £0.89
  • 17. Sunshine £0.89
  • 18. Light Up £0.89
  • 19. Kaleidoscopic Lovers £0.89
  • 20. Stepkids £0.89
  • 21. Saturday Night Inside Out £0.89
  • 22. Frankie Sinatra (Extended Mix) £0.89
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