I like it. And I'm surprised there's no thread about it now it's landed, but I guess those of us who've been here a long time were a bit scared. But overall I think it's a success. Couldn't possibly live up to the expectations, and I'm slightly surprised at the wealth of very positive reviews, as it's not an immediately accessible album or one you can drop in and out of. There's more ideas than themes - it doesn't have the clarity of Since I Left You - but you'd probably expect that in an album that's taken 16 years to make. There's also inevitably less familiarity in the sounds - I think one of the things I loved about SILY is that as well as sounding utterly contemporary, there were so many sounds and snippets I recognised, from Daft Punk to Boney M. My standout track so far is Because I'm Me, which I love, but it's not the only highlight… Subways, If I Was a Folkstar, Saturday Night Inside Out are all ace. Some duff notes too, like Noisy Eater, but then I'd be happy if I never heard Etoh again.

A few words on the interviews and media coverage… they ain't giving a great deal away, and they're keeping the story quite consistent. Would be good to hear the warts and all version some time, but I guess some of it is very personal to Robbie so maybe we'll never know. I'm sad about the apparent bitterness towards Darren (a bit) and Dexter (in particular)… seems as though those relationship breakdowns are pretty permanent. I'm amused at the concept of De La Cruz working in a bank, but we've all got to make a living I guess. I'm looking forward to full on live shows, and hope they'll bring them here… I wonder if they're working with the band that did the live version of SILY in Sydney. I also want to know if we'll ever hear the King Kong track or see the animation…

My thoughts… what are yours?

Simon

I love it, it's everything I had hoped for. It is different to SILY, but still has the unmistakeable Avs sound stamped on it. It does seem strange to have some actual vocalists on it though! And to think that songs with Luke Steele and Ariel Pink amongst others never made the final cut...
The only bad review I have read was a churlish NME giving it 2 out of 5.

I've read interviews with the guys and, as mentioned by Simon, they are consistent with the stories regarding delays, health etc. I've just read that Tony is unwell and some dates in Europe will be cancelled - hopefully he recovers, get well soon T!

Favourite tracks for me - Because I'm Me, Livin' Underwater (Is Somethin' Wild), Sunshine and Saturday Night Inside Out.

Zap! first appeared on the Relaxation Tape I think. Did a version of that played forward ever appear?

Off to listen again
G

As excited as I would've been about this album 10-15 years ago, I somehow am not as interested as I would've expected. I haven't listened to it that many times so far and haven't fully digested it.

That said, I like it a lot overall. It definitely sounds like the Avalanches and has a lot of nice moments in it. And there are lots of earworm bits that I find mice elf hearing in my head over and over at random moments.

I was a little leery of them using guest vocalists on this, as I worried they'd feel hemmed in to using whatever they got, and things they record themselves may not be as good as "found" samples they could use instead. But apparently they did ditch some of the hired vocals, at least for now. And adding your own elements is a natural progression that mostly works well on Wildflower. I really like that they used Jennifer Herrema, as I'm a big Royal Trux fan, and the same goes for Jonathan Donahue and Mercury Rev, even if their contributions here don't work as well as what they do/did with their own bands. I could maybe do with a little less rapping, but some of the raps work really well so I'll get over it.

There are two things that bug me, though. One is that so many songs fade out at the end and then have long segments with some quiet dialog samples or whatever. I feel like it really slows down the flow of things and unless you're listening on headphones or have it up really loud, it can feel like there is a 20- or 30-second gap between songs. I was listening to this on my bicycle speaker while riding along the beach a couple weeks ago and kept thinking the batteries had died when there were the long gaps.

I'm not a prude and I certainly listen to raw stuff, but the other thing that bugs me about Wildflower is the profanity. Partly because I have a young daughter who I love listening to music with and it's disappointing to not be able to play this album through with her. But also because it seems unnecessary and, as far as I can recall, was not an element of SILY or even the DJ mixes (aside from Dexta's JJJ mix I suppose).

I doubt they'll release a "clean" version of the album at this point, so I may make an edit of the record, just for me, that removes the profanity and cuts out the long interlude bits so it flows better. And even if I don't, I'm sure I'll get used to the quiet interludes and will learn which songs to skip when my daughter is around.

As I said earlier, I like it a lot overall and I'm really glad they finally released something. I hope they stay active and release some new DJ mixes and eventually more new stuff, but I'll take what I get.

I like it, however I'm not in love with it like I was with SILY.

When you haven't seen a good friend after a very long time - say 16 years, its always interesting when you catch up after all that time. First off its a bit awkward but then you slowly remember why you love them in the first place and then you go from there. That's the vibe i get with this album. I'm not going to force myself to love this album, I'm just going to give it a go every now and then and I'm sure i'll see the beauty in it.

Really on the look out to see them live again. That I'm sure will be a party.

Wildflower is growing on me with each listen. But I do miss the storytelling feeling from SILY. Where SILY almost has to be listened to from beginning to end with one track blending into the next and elements reappearing in different songs, Wildflower can easily be listened to track by track (unfortunately).

I find Frankie Sinatra and Noisy Eater to be good standalone tracks but don think they really fit conceptually on the album. I guess its hard to maintain a certain style when you create a record over so many years.

That being said, I think Livin' Underwater, The Wozard of Iz, Colours and Subways are really strong songs. And Sunshine with its J Dilla style sampling adds a new flavour to the Avs sound palette.

It took me a while but I'm growing to absolutely love it. Frankie Sinatra and The Noisy Eater break it up a little for me but the rest is just lovely.

Is there a samples thread here or on Reddit or anywhere?

The Avalanches vs. Soda_Jerk "The Was"

"For a visual companion to what they do, check out The Was, a 14-minute short that ingeniously intercuts clips of over 100 films, TV shows, as well as concert footage and original animation - all to music from Wildflower. (Is that Tina Weymouth dancing on a subway platform with Tony Manero and The Warriors?) It’s pretty magical. While not an official video it does seem to be a collaboration between The Avalanches and Australian video collective Soda_Jerk, and seems like it was probably worked on long before The Avalanches announced the new LP."