The Avalanches drop new material (for a King Kong musical)

The Aussie sample dons have covered pop standard 'Get Happy' for the musical - hear an excerpt inside - plus an old Avalanches mix from 2001.

As we edge ever closer to Stop The Planet Of The Apes, I Want To Get Off becoming a reality, King Kong is set to debut as a musical later this year. So far so usual, but the better news is the soundtrack – some of the bizarre names contributing to the score are Massive Attack’s 3D, Elbow’s Guy Garvey, Sarah Maclachlan, Justice and, perhaps most bizarre of all, AWOL Aussie sample group The Avalanches.

Now, excerpts of the soundtrack have surfaced, including The Avalanches’ effort. It’s a cover of pop standard Get Happy) built on a brash hip hop beat that mixes electro rock and opera. The sample can be heard below, appearing at 1:56.

The Avalanches have only released one album, their 2001 masterpiece ‘Since I Left You’, and the follow up has been promised for years, with figures like Ariel Pink and Danny Brown confirmed to be appearing on it. A 10th anniversary reissue of their first album was announced a couple of years ago, but as of yet has not materialised. Last year they joined Twitter, made some mixes, played some shows and uploaded a demo of a new song online, but this is the first hint of new material from them since then.

In related news, a user on Soundcloud recently uploaded an old live set from The Avalanches, allegedly recorded in Brighton back in 2001. Its description reads: “it’s been over 10 years since I was given these mp3s as a treat by the sound team at one of their live performances, and thought it time to share this awesome mix and to remind you all of The Avalanches”. We can’t verify the authenticity of the recording (the group are renowned for having mixes miscredited to them), but it certainly sounds the part – you can stream that below.