M83-Dead Cities, Red Seas, And Lost Ghosts

[Jim Clark]

Tomorrow's music - today. OK, probably not but this is the most mesmerizing and powerful electronica/fuzzed out guitar album I've listened to in a long. Jar used the track "Cyborg" on his year end comp last year and that top tier track has been in the back of my mind ever since. This year they got around to releasing a US version with a bonus CD proving that it can in fact, pay to procrastinate.

M83 is the name of a galaxy plotted out millions of miles away. "It's said to be similar to our own Milky Way. Its beautiful spiral bands are dotted with bright areas, which correspond to regions of intense star formation. Like any large spiral galaxy, it contains billions of stars in various stages of evolution" (taken from some star website). Pretty much sums up what's going on here. Influences are many and far reaching. Just try not to hear Pink Floyd, or My Bloody Valentine, or even Sigur Ros. That's not going to cover it. How about Air on 'roids? Well, yeah, part that too I suppose. Can't forget bits of Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk as well. Probably even a touch of Radiohead, after they finished ripping off Pixies albums. In the end I can't say if ever heard anything quite like it. When the disc is finally over the intensity of what just took place washes over you like a wave.

Poor job of describing the sound. I suppose if I cheated and read some reviews first I could manage a little bit better, then again it's hard to imagine that there would be a total absence of the bands I referenced. Great disc and if it wasn't decently reviewed-it should have been.

Regards,jc

[Davey]

...this is the most mesmerizing and powerful electronica/fuzzed out guitar album I've listened to in a long.
Ditto what Jimbo says, this really is some good stuff. Only just got it recently myself after procrastinating until the long delayed US release and haven't come close to digesting the whole thing, but I feel the wash as well. Kind of like I remember after listening the first time to Future Sound of London <i>Dead Cities</i>. Very cool.

[-Jar-]

Tomorrow's music - today. OK, probably not but this is the most mesmerizing and powerful electronica/fuzzed out guitar album I've listened to in a long. Jar used the track "Cyborg" on his year end comp last year and that top tier track has been in the back of my mind ever since. This year they got around to releasing a US version with a bonus CD proving that it can in fact, pay to procrastinate.

M83 is the name of a galaxy plotted out millions of miles away. "It's said to be similar to our own Milky Way. Its beautiful spiral bands are dotted with bright areas, which correspond to regions of intense star formation. Like any large spiral galaxy, it contains billions of stars in various stages of evolution" (taken from some star website). Pretty much sums up what's going on here. Influences are many and far reaching. Just try not to hear Pink Floyd, or My Bloody Valentine, or even Sigur Ros. That's not going to cover it. How about Air on 'roids? Well, yeah, part that too I suppose. Can't forget bits of Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk as well. Probably even a touch of Radiohead, after they finished ripping off Pixies albums. In the end I can't say if ever heard anything quite like it. When the disc is finally over the intensity of what just took place washes over you like a wave.

Poor job of describing the sound. I suppose if I cheated and read some reviews first I could manage a little bit better, then again it's hard to imagine that there would be a total absence of the bands I referenced. Great disc and if it wasn't decently reviewed-it should have been.

Regards,jc

does the US version have some weird distortion at the beginning of track 2?

Almost like digital skipping or something?

It bugs me.

[-Jar-]

Ditto what Jimbo says, this really is some good stuff. Only just got it recently myself after procrastinating until the long delayed US release and haven't come close to digesting the whole thing, but I feel the wash as well. Kind of like I remember after listening the first time to Future Sound of London <i>Dead Cities</i>. Very cool.

I find my excitement for this album to be nowhere near all the frothing accolades it's received since its initial release.

That's not to say I think it's a bad album.

It's a tough nut to crack, that's for sure.

-jar

[Dusty Chalk]

does the US version have some weird distortion at the beginning of track 2?

Almost like digital skipping or something?

It bugs me.Shouldn't. I have both copies, and neither of mine do.

PS The album rocks!