M83 – Before The Dawn Heals Us
M83s last album “Dead Cities, Red Seas , Lost Ghosts” just didn’t really grab me well. It had its moment but it just missed something for me. Anthony Gonzalez is going at alone for this affair and I decided to give it another shot and I was rewarded.
“Don’t Save Us From The Flames” is absolutely a stunner. Its wall of sythns and those atmospheric versus make this song perfect. Beeps, fuzzed out guitars, there’s so much going on here. What a way to get an album going. “Fields, Shorelines, and Hunters” features an intro with a spacey beat and a fierce drum beat that’s quite euphoric. A vocal kicks in and its barely audible and the song just keeps building and build and just creating this wall of beautiful and strange sounds. Its quite amazing. “Teen Angst” its hard to imagine they would call a song that but hey. A soft an gentle vocal kicks in over some 80s style syths. The hook soars with a female voice soars with the deep and layered e lectro sound. The lyrics are simple and effective “the more we learn the more we die” “Car Chase Terror” starts with an interesting sample of a woman in car and she’s being chased or something. Its quite an intresting and different track a bit spooky. “A Guitar And A Heart” does feature a more upfront guitar that gives it a more upbeat feel. Even without vocals it does feel catchy and deep.
M83 made an brilliant piece of work. Its deep, layered and there more ideas and sounds in one song than most bands have on an album. They have up the ante from their previous work. Its just leaking with brilliance.
By John Siwicki
