M83?

Man, I just realized that half of this album sounds like that Justin Bieber track that was slowed down 800%.

that thing was awesome!

It's embarrassing now. That's part of its charm.

yeah, and the unironic nature of m83's 80s-fixation is a big part of the appeal.

by contrast, my fixation with the starlight vocal band is 48% ironic, and 52% ironic.

Just figured out that there's a bonus track called "Mirror" that comes with the album. You have to find the code on the case underneath the booklet and enter it here: http://www.m83mirror.com/. It's really hard to read and took me forever to make out the characters. Oh, and as for the song, I can see why it's not on the album...

This is a totally self-indulgent 80s comfort food album and I love it

That "Midnight Sun" outro sax solo is right outta the PSB's "Suburbia."

"Claudia Lewis" sounds exactly like New Order's "Thieves Like Us". Or is it just me?

But yeah, the shamelessness in the way he rips off all of his favourite 80's bands is a big part of the album's appeal.

"Claudia Lewis" reminds me a bit of the Ford and Lopatin album (which is obv. influenced by a ton of 80s stuff).

Man, there are some absolutely fantastic moments on here ("Steve McQueen", "Wait", "Intro", "Claudia Lewis", "Midnight Sun"), but enough clunkers to really keep it from being as exciting as it could be from start to finish. I know its cliche to trot this out for every double-album ever, but there is a seriously amazing single disc in here somewhere.

Yeah, it's definitely overstuffed.

haven't bothered to read this thread yet, but...

there was an ilx mbv thread in which nabisco waxed poetically about how "when you sleep" had this ecstatic-sounding refrain. which kinda carried the song

and i think that there are a couple of tracks on hurry up that do that thing. also using the same devices maybe-- sequencer-driven refrain interposed with somewhat understated verses (though for sure less guitar-driven). i know i've heard "midnight city" before when i was out, at least i think i have... but at home actually sitting down and listening to it, i think it captures that expansive euphoric feeling so well. hard to argue with.

think it's even a more potent distillate than some of those loveless tracks. crack/powder analogy IF YOU WILL

My problem with the album is the angsty yelpy vocals as apposed to the calmer whispery delivery on all the past albums that were great because they contrasted the epic-ness of the songs so well. Makes them sound less mature without at least one element of the music holding back a bit.

yeah, i think i get what you're saying, but i feel the opposite. like i love that there's not much subtlety. fits in with the vibe. like dude was just bursting at the seams and couldn't contain himself and so the songs are just OUT THERE HUGE

Yeah, I mean I like Midnight City and a few other songs I don't know by name, but that whole approach drives him closer to a 2000s era mall-emo synth band kind of aesthetic in my honest opinion!

Also, wordless anthemic Coldplay vox.

Been loving this star for quit a long while
It's still OK. The mine he's seaming.

Could do better though

Yeah, I mean I like Midnight City and a few other songs I don't know by name, but that whole approach drives him closer to a 2000s era mall-emo synth band kind of aesthetic in my honest opinion!

Yeah, I think I get that. Like in Midnight City the synth sound is almost generic "bangers by rote" setting or something

but i have listened to it a thousand times over the past few days, and each time it gets better. but maybe it just speaks to some part of me. or maybe i am just trying to annoy my neighbors in a semi-original way

I dl this album, listened to some of the tracks and haven't got back to it since. I liked some of their previous stuff and in theory I should like this but I agree that it's too... "too much" !
I can't really stand the guy's voice on this and the whole production/arrangements just get on my nerves after a (short) while.

Raconte-Moi Des Histoire came on random the other day and it epitomises what irks me about this guy. I know not all his songs are like this, but I had the first album, and it was pretty good if a bit slow and lacking in oomph, and then the second one had all these cheesy samples that jut out like sore thumbs. Something really euro-90s about his style, kind of reminds me of the same aesthetic Aeroplane went with on their album.

the last thing I think of when I think of M83 is samples, tbh

synth swells and gated drums, sure

no problems with that (although the wet wet drums are enough) but I remember it was the samples on that second album that stopped me enjoying it.

ah I see, there are a bunch of M83 albums I didn't know existed, lol

the previous album had good moments but was already very borderline for me. this latest one kinda jumped the shark (but good for them since it made them famous !)

I think it was "Teen Angst" (can't remember?) but there was loads of screaming samples and these ratty drums that reminded me of bad industrial metal from the mid-90s, and - I dunno, I could tell what he was going for but it just wasn't working.

"Teen Angst" is on the third album, fyi

oh yeah. always forget about the very first one.

listening to Digital Shades atm and am very glad dude discovered drum machines

I think Midnight City has been forever spoilt for me after seeing that guy "auditioning" for it on youtube...

huh ?

http://youtu.be/qWTLSZottgc

oops
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qWTLSZottgc"; frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

ok, i give up

I only got about 5 seconds into that once the song started

BIG mistake (that is if you are at all into yelping)

people that yelp are scumbags

So are these dudes any good live? Really want them to be, because I heart the new record so much.

i hear midnight city every time i walk into a store, turn on the radio, or basically leave my house. enough.

I saw them live after the second album, they were great but there was something canned about the performance, I remember; lots of backing tracks. it was still pretty good. no idea what he/they are like now.

I wish I lived in your city.

they were pretty good when I saw them at Lollapalooza 2005 after Before the Dawn Heals Us and they were really good, particularly for playing early in the afternoon heat, a setting that did no favors for this type of stuff

After years of waiting for a chance I finally saw them some weeks ago at an indoor festival in Cologne. So maybe shorter set, not full stage setup, stronger emphasis on the new album and thus to be honest not the great revelation I had always imagined.

Gonzalez pretty much up to 11 in everything he's doing, constantly changing snow white instruments, climbing monitor speakers, praying etc., quite entertaining. Apart from that I don't remember any breathtaking visual stuff, which was a bit of a letdown. As akm mentioned the majority of the synths and effects seemed to be pre-recorded, not surprising considering apart from Gonzalez there was only drummer, bassist and the pretty keyboard singer on stage. Very good thing she's apparently still on board, but in a way it only increases the pain thinking about how great the new album could have been without the yelps and with some actual singing.

Still thinking about visiting the Primavera Festival only to see these guys play directly besides the Mediterranean sea.

http://fororchestra.bandcamp.com/track/m83-midnight-city-for-orchestra

Just heard this. Rolled my eyes when I saw it because "____ for Orchestra" versions are rarely any good, but this guy got it right. Too bad it's probably a Logic recording and not a real orchestra.

In case anyone missed this, full video of M83 at Coachella:

http://www.prefixmag.com/news/watch-m83s-entire-coachella-performance/64356/

Don't know if it's from a forthcoming new album, but it's good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLuLEgtDPVQ

its from the score he wrote for Oblivion

susanne sundfør is great. feeling this.

You don't expect to hear M83 in a Persil advert.

... it has made me intrigued to hear the album, mind.

Not quite sure how I feel about this new song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryh9rkIRGUs

On the plus side, it looks like Susanne Sundfor is featured on one song on the upcoming album.

Are they trying to muscle in on Cut Copy's territory?

I almost said the same thing but with Hot Chip instead.