M83

Before the Dawn Heals Us

If I had to be brutally honest, prior to me listening to M83's previous album "Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts" I had heard shockingly little of M83, the long-running french outfit led by one Anthony Gonzalez. I mean, I knew the classics, but nothing else. I can't really identify why, but I don't think I really cared or knew about his blend of shoegazey and dream pop atmospheres and ambient textures. But, on a whim, I decided to listen to that album, and it was fantastic. Not perfect, that's why it isn't here, but it was an impressive release, one with a signature sound and style and an otherworldly feel to it.

Naturally, my response was "Well I mean, that was great, why not listen to his follow-up release?" and that follow-up release turned out to be the 2005 release "Before the Dawn Heals Us", and I can't say I exactly knew what I was getting into. I looked at the cover, a hazy picture of the Bangkok skyline at night with the signature M83 logo plastered all over the left-hand side of it, and thought that it looked fantastic, but what was the music like? Would I enjoy it as much as before, considering his previous release was so good?

So I downloaded the album, braced myself for what I was going to hear... and then "Moonchild" rang out from my headphones. I was amazed, to say the very least. The dreamy, dense synthesizer-laden sound, the smooth, refined production, the soaring background vocals, the reverb echoing off the drums... and a part of me knew that even if the rest absolutely sucked, at least I knew I had one instant classic in my hands. But I was happily proven wrong, because "Before the Dawn Heals Us" is the definition of a magnum opus, glorious and soaring, an absolute journey through some of the best soundscapes ever laid down on tape. In truth, it's not too dissimilar from "Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts", but the production is more urbanized, thicker and more dense. It's more darker than his previous rather pristine and clear album, rather these songs swirl and swell up into behemoths individually on each track - and it sounds incredible.

It's such a cinematic album, it feels like the musical equivalent of watching a film, there's not really a story to this album, but rather the journey itself sounds cinematic. It's an immersive explosion of synthesizers and organic instruments, a mix between the digital and analog worlds colliding together to create something genuinely baffling. It doesn't even sound human sometimes, from the explosive and dynamic "*" to the absolute sheer beauty and power of "Lower Your Eyelids to Die With the Sun" and the immaculate adrenaline rush of "Don't Save Us From the Flames" shows that M83 can not only craft perfect atmospheres, but create songs within his songs. Every song here, even the more lowkey ambient cuts like "Slight Night Shiver" create entire worlds on their own. You can really breathe everything in here, and the expertly paced slower songs give you some room to really think and soak it all in after the loud, dynamic explosive ones.

It's pure magic distilled into an album, and in my honest, humble opinion the best M83 album, because it's consistent and powerful without conceding on the experimentalism that made his earlier records so fascinating. It's got hooks on top of hooks upon hooks, but there aren't conventional pop hits like "Midnight City" or even "Outro" later on in his career, but they are extremely accessible and a great time overall.

Is there any particular reason why I think it's flawless? I honestly cannot tell you exactly why, but it's an absolute trip and a riveting album that will never leave you wanting more. It's ecstatic. And I cannot recommend it heavily enough. If you want some oddball synthpop with dreamy shoegaze vibes, with tons of pop hooks, listen. Listen. Listen...

"My first vision was a bushing growing down the river, and I couldn't stop crying. Something was missing, I realized I was in love with the voice - I called it, again and again, but all I heard was the echo in the light."

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