Review Summary: M83 have finally found the right approach, and it is absolutely stunning.
M83 is a band that came into the music scene in 2001, with two members "Anthony Gonzalez", and "Nicolas Fromageau", making two albums between 2001-2004, with Nicolas' sudden departure taking place before the masterpiece "Before the Dawn Heals Us" was created. After that, Gonzalez experimented on his own with a very experimental effort "Digital Shades Vol. 1". It received little attention not grasping many people. Then, he recruited collaborator "Morgan Kibby". Then a year later in Early 2008, this album was created. While 2005's "Before the Dawn Heals Us", experimented on a sound similar to this, it didn't perfect the sound, switching in and out of what he really wanted. This was the result of the perfection of the new sound. This result was almost perfect, with 9 out of 11 of the songs being absolutely superb.
The album kicks off with a very dark and moody opener "You, Appearing". The piano and synths creep in the first minute. Everything is almost the same as before in most recent albums, until new collaborator "Morgan Kibby", speaks the first words of the album. The words "It's your.....face", are so heavily and innocently spoken with the moody background, it is bound to send chills down your spine. Anthony then joins her singing "Where....we are". After everything finally comes to play in the last minute, both vocalists end it on a chilling note with both almost speaking in unison: "Save me". A superb, chilling, and ambient opener to an amazing album. The song then fades into the first real more approachable song on the album called "Kim & Jessie". The drums, synths, and even guitar open the song with a more happy tone. The whole song has a very nice feeling to it. This has been mentioned about this album, but i will say it anyway. This and many other songs on the album resemble the 80's sounding like a "John Hughes" soundtrack. This is one of the best examples, and is one of the best tracks on the album. Moving forward, we are now listening to "Skin of the Night", which is already a song that you can tell has "Cocteau Twins" influences. The vocals are superb on this song mainly because Morgan Kibby performs her first lead vocal song for M83, and it is very chilling, but positive and pleasurable. This is definitely a great listen. Long, but great! Onto the next song which is titled "Graveyard Girl". This happens to have one of the most positive vibes on the album. The melody and vocals are amazing, and this song has to be the most alternative rock sounding of all the songs on the album. Real sounding drums, guitars through the whole song, and even a little bass thrown in. This is also a great example of a song that could be on a "John Hughes" soundtrack.
After 4 stellar songs, unfortunately, the album hits a bit of a bumpy road with two songs back to back, that are very boring, dull, and have no meaning to them. "Couleurs", and "Up!", are both two very simple structured, boring, and pointless songs on the album. They are just repeated melodies for a long time that get annoying with increased loudness. "Highway of Endless Dreams", does have this, but it showcased in a more effective way, while these two are two duds on the album. Things get back to an amazing pace after these two fails though. We begin with the brilliant "We Own the Sky", which does showcase some very good songwriting. This song is catchy, emotional, youthful, and downright amazing. I understand why this is the main single from the album, because it combines everything from this album and somehow squeezes it down to the 5 minutes. Great melodies, great choruses, and great everything. A very obvious hit after two misses. Next, is "Highway of Endless Dreams". This song has only one melody, but it doesn't get boring at all, because the guitars, vocals, synths, and even background drums keep it very interesting and intense. This song has a very cool intensity factor with the opening lyrics "7 AM....dusty road......I'm gonna drive until it burns my bones". You can also imagine a young person riding down a highway while listening to this. That happens to be one subject that always happens with M83. They always make songs that paint a very beautiful picture in your mind almost creating a soundtrack for your thoughts. This is one of the examples of this way of thinking M83 use. There are others that have this type of structure working even better, but this is still a really good track. Okay, now that we are on to the brilliant ballad "Too Late", i have to describe something very meaningful about this one. This song has a very nice message in it with beautiful lyrics. This song helped with situations in my life and with my friends lives, who i showed this album too. The most ambient, and beautiful song on the album. The chorus is very nice and relaxing, as is the verse. The ending is also one of the best on the album, with Gonzalez finishing the song with chilling spoken lyrics. He calmly says, "You...al....ways". This might be my favorite or my 2nd favorite. I'm undecided at this point, because of some of the gems this album beholds. Next, is also a candidate for my favorite song which is "Dark Moves of Love". It starts off with completely spoken, chilling, and relaxing lyrics: "The time is blowing out, dividing you and me....can you see me?". It then leads into a sort of power ballad-ish atmosphere for the rest of the song. The vocals are all around with Gonzalez and Kibby singing the lyrics "I will fight the time, and bring you back". This creates one more final youthful vibe on the album. The approach is set as the album closer, but it isn't because the last song on the album is next, and it is brilliant as it is long. "Midnight Souls Still Remain", is an 11 minute long song, that does not contain much. Just two notes being held down on a keyboard playing the same notes for 11 minutes. Many people who have reviewed this album describe it as boring, and too long. Honestly, i think it isn't really a "song". It is really just 11 minutes of atmosphere that you can fill up with your mind. I play this on my Ipod when im sleeping, or at least before i do, in my bed. Almost everytime i set it at replay, and fall asleep to the ambience. I hear it in my dreams, and it creates an atmosphere like no other. even when i don't fall asleep to it, i zone out with it anytime, and the thing that snaps me back in, is when it ends and fades out. It is really a superb "song", and a very cool closer to a stellar album.
Anyways, this album is a must buy for M83 fans, and for anyone who likes music! An amazing album that sets up the atmosphere for an even better album which is "Hurry Up We're Dreaming". Hope my advice helped! Enjoy this brilliant album, and don't forget to rate my review!
