Formerly a French duo (but now a solo Anthony Gonzalez project), M83 is named after a galaxy. Can you guess where this thing is going? MBV, Air, Jean Michel Jarre, 80s Pink Floyd, Supertramp, 70’s “soft ambient” French atmospheric music. The album as a whole was unbearable, but single tracks may do well in a well-planned music set, as the production is great and the big soundscape is somewhat interesting. Most track are instrumental or feature brief vox. Their previous album was far more interesting and less pretentious.
My carpool’s poll: three thumbs down.
I would play 6, 14 (the more upbeat stuff) and 4. For the rest, try it, but you’re on your own.
1. Pink Floyd taken a kitschmospheric turn, dreamy spoken female voice open and close.
2. Upbeat rocker, loud dream pop, My Bloody Valentine.
3. Drones and strings, dramatic soundscape, brief vox appear, but not hitting home.
(4). Slow, symphonic synths, Air-like, female/male vox, grows more kitschy toward end, hand claps.
5. Fast, intense drum beat, loud drone and some keys. Is it a woman’s orgasm sample in the background? Come on!
(6). Urgent dark synths, loud high tempo MBV rock, instrumental. Ends abruptly.
7. Melancholy keys, drones, sound sample of people talking/playing in background. Good backdrop.
8. Harsh synthi start, vox appear, trance-like uplift, sweeping, drops and lifts again, male vox and dreamy female vox.
9. Supertramp? “I can’t stop” repeated with full synth background and some drums bursts here and there. Annoying. Please stop.
10. Slow ballad. Minimal piano steps, string-like drone, sad vox. It’s Air again. Grand, spacey finish – and last 15 seconds are fireworks(!)
11. Same fireworks(!) from previous track, slow dreamy fade in, short atmospheric track.
12. Spoken excerpt with chirping background. Synths fade in, urgently. Vox return, and fast loud beat starts playing over it.
13. Still chirping, dramatic organ enters, slow synths replace it, ocean waves.
((14)). Loud, fast tempo, harsh synths, harsh drum beat, almost dance-like, techno ending.
15. Long [10:37]. 1:30 buildup to the massive soundscape, then becomes more dreamy, but never interesting. Slow fade out.