Genre: glow sticks, shag rugs, 80’s, kitsch, pop signifiers

M83 rocked the indie (and also mainstream) world with the single “Midnight City” from his last ambitious double album. “Junk” sees him picking up on some of those textures (synths, sax, woops) going right for the cheesiness jugular. Some of it works reeeeally well and hits you right in the lizard brain, whereas as other parts sound like the scenes you wished you had forgotten from Footloose. Maybe you’re less cynical than me though and will embrace the whole album. ANYWAY the highlighted tracks below are all great.

Favorites: 2, 1, 9, 10, 4, 7. No FCCs.

Others: Daft Punk, Air, Neon Indian

1. (3:38) *** Do it Try it - Big stark piano chords. Gets slightly jazzy and uptempo. Ramps up to a bassy chorus. Super catchy track. Nice delay of gratification before a final massive chorus.
2. (3:56) **** Go! - Female vox. Really like this one. We’ve got sax, synths, and a guitar solo from Steve Vai….so the cheese is as cranked up as it can be but that doesn’t keep it from being totally infectious.
3. (4:49) Walkaway Blues - Groovy and sultry. Mournful…in a vocoder sort of way.
4. (3:54) ** Bibi the Dog - This one is just so damn cute. Nice beat, french spoken vox. Spooky kitschy…
5. (2:27) Moon Crystal - Where am i….why is there so much shag rug…why do all these people have un-ironic disco balls? Instrumental
6. (4:41) For the Kids - Twinkling piano. Emotive ballad with fem. vox. Touching if you’re into this kinda thing…
7. (6:04) ** Solitude - Wash of strings + synth. Nice little motif mirrored between strings and vox. Anthony Gonzalez is lonely :’(. James Bond style slow burner.
8. (2:25) The Wizard - Quiet beat. Lo-fi synth work. Nice catchy instrumental for a mic break, etc.
9. (4:17) *** Laser Gun - Stereo piano chords like the first track. Wow really like this female vocalist (from tracks 2,4). Ultra catchy, transportive. Neon night drive music. Second half gets all handclappy and saxy and over indulgent in a great way.
10. (4:22) ** Road Blaster - Sax man riff and thumping beat. Male vox.
11. (2:06) Tension - Spacey, romantic instrumental.
12. (3:24) Atlantique Sud - Alright I think we just moved into cloying territory. Plaintive piano…male/female duet with french vox. All about not being afraid and how they’ll wait for each other blah blah blah. Not my style…but hey maybe my heart’s just hardened to this world.
13. (4:09) Time Wind - Propulsive, stuttering beat. Similar to other tracks. Male vox.
14. (1:35) Ludivine - Pleasant ambient interlude. Melancholy.
15. (4:01) Sunday Night 1987 - Soft male vox and tentative keyboard. The introspection after the roller rink party. Saxophone outro. Ends ~ fifteen seconds early