Pitchfork

The acclaimed debut full-length from Australian party-bringers the Avalanches, Since I Left You, has been released, it seems, everywhere except the United States. It originally saw the light of day in their dusty homeland in 1999, and then in Europe in late 2000. Now, after much deliberation and a major-label bidding war, the record is slated for stateside release on October 16th through London/Sire.

The album was originally going to be released on Madonna's insidious Maverick label-- at the time, she would only allow clearance on the sample of her 1983 smash "Holiday" if the Avalanches would sign their souls off with the Goo Goo Dolls and Alanis. Later, the Beastie Boys sought the band for their Grand Royal label, but the deal never came to fruition. Finally, something happened and Sire Records snagged the six young bucks. We speculate that the label, which owns the rights to "Holiday," cut 'em a bargain on the sample. The U.S. release will be identical to the European version; all samples are cleared and ready to rock.

The band will be visiting New York around the time of this year's annual music industry conference, the CMJ Music Marathon, to promote the record. Though no performance has been scheduled as yet, the band's PR firm hinted at the possibility of something happening last-minute. However, at a show last week in the UK, bandmember Darren Seltmann made a leap off a 20-foot stack of amps and broke his leg, so if a gig does come together, it's likely he'll perform his acrobatics from a wheelchair.