Culture Blues

Album Review: “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” – M83

Hurry Up We're Dreaming: M83

In order to get ahead of the usual end of the year grind, I wrote my first draft of a Best Albums Of 2011 list last week. Compiling this list was a much easier experience than it had been during previous attempts (to be fair, they were in no particular order), though there was one semi-egregious break in procedure... I put a record on the list that I hadn’t fully listened to, and it was Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. In the interest of full disclosure, I had only actually heard two songs from the latest M83 record, both of which happened to be tracks that I had been exposed to over the summer and were, in fact, both Clef Notes Tracks of the Week. The thing is, when I got to appreciate the Zola Jesus-infused Intro, and the unbelievably addictive Midnight City, with headphones, in their intended fidelity, I was overwhelmed and a bit scared. There were two reasons for my hesitance to delve any further into the record: 1) Within two tracks Anthony Gonzalez crafts a sonic universe of electronic nostalgia so dense and masterful that the first nine minutes can be explored endlessly, and 2) I was afraid that the double-album run time might give me a musical climax induced stroke. Thankfully I survived, and I can write that this album not only belongs on the list, it may very well be the best M83 record ever.

Every time I write about electronic music I find myself trying to stress how impressive it is that composers who do it well are in control of every aspect of their art. The creative responsibilities involved in such an undertaking can never be minimized, and French Dream-Pop artisan Anthony Gonzalez has been known as one of the absolute top musicians in his field for some time now. With stunning records like Before The Dawn Heals Us, Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghost, and Saturdays=Youth, Gonzalez has thrilled listeners with his cinematic, shoegazing, explosive, hyper-emotional sound, and now he has taken both it and his listener to stellar places. Gonzalez has explained in numerous interviews that Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was a major inspiration for the double album idea (something which could not make me happier) and, while the sonic palettes of the two records are quite different, they both share the feeling of an artist (Corgan, Gonzalez) who is at the apex of their power, and channeling extraordinary inspiration into even better music.

As I stated back in (gushing) paragraph number one, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming starts as strong as an electronic record ever could. First there is Intro, which features numerous bubbling arpeggios, twinkling stardust in the right channel, fantastic vocal contributions from the aforementioned Zola Jesus, and the album’s first blissful crescendo at the 3:17 mark, which is so epic that it no doubt leaves Win Butler envious. After the crescendo that you wish would go on forever subsides, the '80s-neon lead synth of Midnight City takes center stage and, at the 0:17 mark, dares you to not bob your head to it. Midnight City has a very simple structure: start with an amazing hook, then take it away for a couple of bars before bringing the awesome back. Do that enough times and, voila, one of the best songs of the year (even the saxophone outro solo doesn’t bother me). There is a dizzying amount of greatness on the first half of the record, beyond just the first two tracks. The exquisitely orchestrated and arranged first ballad, Wait, is a work of mesmerizing beauty that showcases the new-found confidence and power that Gonzalez’ voice possesses, and watch out for the string adorned crescendo, it  might make you cry. Another incredible track on the album's first half is the St. Elmo’s Fire inspired Raconte-Moi Histoire, which uses a vocal track that is no more than a charming child telling a story about playing with frogs, complete with thinly veiled drug allusions, as wonderfully swirling music builds around it. As the child finishes telling the story, the central theme becomes a retro bass-line and string accompaniment that transitions so effortlessly you can’t help but be awed. The last song I want to highlight on the album’s first half is the two minute and twenty one second blast that is The Bright Flash, which lulls you in for about forty seconds before a drum-fill leads to a wall of massive guitars and soaring synths that are as cathartic as they are joyously loud.

Having such a diverse array of not just solid but, dare I say brilliant, work would be enough to merit glowing praise from me if they stood alone on one record, though of course I would want more. Thankfully, there is still another half of this spectacle left. Gonzalez uses a trio of tracks to guide listeners from one half of his record to another, which act as a suite of spacious atmospheric compositions full of horns and strings, with cuts like Soon, My Friend invoking more than just the spirit of Mellon Collie. The second half of this record really kicks off with New Map, another epic tune that Arcade Fire wishes they had written, which ends with some saxophone and woodwind play that is downright delightful. New Map is followed by OK Pal, a song which repeats the whole Midnight City structure to great effect, and a couple of tracks later we are treated to Splendor, another superbly crafted ballad with an arrangement so full it would make Sufjan Stevens blush. It is at this point in the record that one realizes how truly balanced both halves are; right when you expect a jaunty tune like Raconte-Moi Histoire you are treated to Year One, One Ufo, another elation-filled composition that, this time, ends things with crashing and concussive hits that rain down upon you gloriously. The best track on the second half is without doubt Steve McQueen, a song with builds that lead listeners to vertigo-inducing heights, and will no doubt be a crowd favorite during the upcoming M83 performances.

Whenever any artist attempts a double album, the usual fears of over-indulgence and quality control tend to arise before an initial listen. I have read other reviews for this record and it seems that, for the most part, other critics take umbrage with the instrumental tracks that are meant to diffuse the echo of all of the swells, crescendos, and unbridled ecstasy that make up the majesty of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. While I think that such an issue is the result of my peers simply asking too much, and not acknowledging that the ear needs to reset every now and again, I am certain they would recognize that highlighting such flaws is nothing more than nit-picking (besides, some of those instrumentals are actually quite good).

Anthony Gonzalez has made something truly special with Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. Not since I first heard Merriweather Post Pavilion have I been so utterly blown away by a record during my time here as Culture Blues music czar. This is a record that projects a modern vision and optimism, built on the framework of dreams that people who are almost thirty once had. At times this record feels like Arcade Fire, Prince, Peter Gabrial, The Wall, Mellon Collie, soundtracks from movies you have seen a million times, Saturday nights that you were too young to experience and, more specifically, utter and breathtaking genius. I don't know what else to say about this record than c'est magnifique.