THE AVALANCHES
Making up for lost time
Hip hop is a tough sell at Japanese festivals for a few different reasons. A big part is the language barrier and trying to win over a crowd with new songs based on a lyrical flow and ability that most don’t fully get. Unless you’re an established big name in hip hop like Outkast, Jay-Z or Kendrick Lamar you’re going to have it tough when you tour Japan.
The Australian based Avalanches were at the fest this year making up for a missed performance from last year. They got a late afternoon time slot on the main stage Saturday but couldn’t do a whole lot to hold the crowd or keep them energized in the midst of the rain. I had known The Avalanches more for their early DJ mixes and eclectic tune selection rather than original tunes. The group only has 2 full length albums since debuting in 1997. They just released their second album last year after reforming and have had trouble keeping members and staying together for years.
That said, their album from last year is solid, filled with guests and big tunes. They played the bulk of their set with tunes from it, however with so many guests on the album, it just doesn’t sound the same live without the real singer. Often times the band just played a recorded vocal instead of someone else covering the guest’s verse. I thought this decision was a bit strange and didn’t fit well.
I was a big fan of The Avalanches old sound from 15 or 20 years ago, but today they seem to be bit lacking something special or different that gave them their fame in the past.I’m not hating on the group, but with so many other things going on at Fuji Rock almost non stop, to give your time and full attention to a group that doesn’t quite have it or hasn’t had it for 15 years or so feels wrong. So while the main stage Avalanches set wasn’t a complete disappointment, it wasn’t overly memorable either.
