M83's awesome double-album, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, delivers on all of the promises that Anthony Gonzalez's prior records have made. His mastery of cinematic and cerebral electro-pop is on full display, spinning out gorgeous after gorgeous moment of life-affirming music. Cynicism dies in the face of his unyielding sonic optimism.
Like all great artists, Gonzalez has a firm grasp of his own aesthetic and a keen sense for how to harness its greatness. Where double-albums are often misguided, bloated, or short-handed, here the 22-track epic is clearly the inspired format for M83's diversity and expansiveness. Huge singles ("Intro" "Midnight City"), world-tinged pop tracks ("Reunion," "Claudia Lewis," "Steve McQueen"), swirling instrumentals ("Another Wave from You," "Echoes of Mine"), and strangely fantastic one-offs ("Raconte-Moi Une Histoire," "Year One, One UFO") are perfectly sequenced throughout the two sides. On their own, Side One and Side Two would merit placement in the The D Man's Top Twenty. Together, they equal impenetrable feats of symphonic electronic music.
Gonzalez's self-described "very, very, very epic album" extends the nostalgic magic of Saturdays = Youth and embraces the wide-screen electronica of Before the Dawn Heals Us. Enjoy the incredible live clip of "Midnight City," hands down the best single of the year. Yes, there will be sax, as it is obvious the menage a trois of live drums, laser synths, and 80's jazz feel like they were destined to be together.
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