The Avalanches have once again proven themselves as masters of the music world, unleashing a limited edition promotional pressing of their new single, “Reflecting Light”.
Released as a single just last month alongside “Wherever You Go”, The Avalanches’ “Reflecting Light” is just one of a handful of tracks shared by the Australian music icons this year. Following on from tunes such as “We Will Always Love You” and “Running Red Lights”, these new compositions are all set to appear on the as-yet-untitled third album from the group.
Already in the midst of a major return, the pair have done something rather unique for their first physical release since 2016’s Wildflower, pressing “Reflecting Light” onto an extremely limited run of x-ray vinyl records.
Limited to just 12 copies, the single-sided 7″ record has been pressed by Melbourne’s Small Run onto x-rays of band members Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi, and serves a tribute to the “Bone Music” of the Soviet era.
Also known as “Ribs” or Roentgenizdat, the history of “Bone Music” recordings is a rather strange chapter in the story of popular music. Mostly made throughout the Fifties and Sixties, a ban on Western music in the Soviet Union saw ingenious bootleggers pressing black market copies of records by bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Beatles onto real x-rays that had likely been stolen from hospitals and clinics.
Often poor in quality and offering limited playback value, records of this nature have become highly prized amongst vinyl collectors, with their history being immortalised thanks to documentaries such as Roentgenizdat, or Bone Music from the BBC.
Unfortunately, fans wishing to get their hands on copies of the rather unique new single from The Avalanches are out of luck, with the 12 copies being distributed solely to select media outlets around the world.
While it remains to be seen whether “Reflecting Light” or any of the other previously-released singles from The Avalanches will be receiving a vinyl pressing, this limited edition record is arguably set to serve as one of the most unique release any music fan will see for some time.
The Avalanches recently shared both a remix of DMA’S’ “Criminals”, and the official video for “Wherever You Go”, which served as a collaboration with the International Space Orchestra.
