I generally felt 'excited' about the new M83 album, but I have been trying to give it a few 'spins' [via SpotifyTunes] to try to figure out what it is all abt. It seems like critics are 'creaming their pants' over the new album. M83's usual strategy is to have 2-3 'really, really good songs', have a few songs that are artsy and have kids talking, then some more aggressive filler that says 'take us seriously.' It's a pretty good band model, and probably what modern bleepybloop indie buzzbands should follow.

However, I feel like there are some MASSIVE RED FLAGS abt the vibe of this album. Overall, still probably worth 'endorsing', but some of the vibes that it projects are sorta troublesome if you think about them too much.

These are the RED FLAGS associated with M83.

Red Flag #1: The album is effing 73 minutes long.
It takes an artist with 'their head up their own ass' to make a 'beautiful piece of art.' It's generally a good thing when we trust the artist. However, I'm not sure if Hurry Up, We're Dreaming really needed to be so long. I wonder if they just 'held on' to too many b-sides, or if they honestly believe every1 needs to hear every minute of this epic 'double album.' I wanted to 'stay true' to the album and listen to it uninterrupted, but I ended up doing the thing where I just 'searched 4 the good songs', then I will uncheck the ones that aren't as listenable so they don't harsh my vibes.

I wonder if they should have done something to 'brand' the 2 albums as 'different experiences.' Or maybe just had some 'self control' and buried some of the stray songs. If the album was 20 minutes shorter, this would probably be a 'lock' for album of the year. Instead, we have to deal with their desire to create a 'dreamscape' album experience.

Red Flag #2. Why are they so obsessed with children?
There are a few songs with children talking. I know that 'youth' is a buzzworthy gimmick for Generation Y indie fans, but I feel like u sorta gotta 'grow the eff up' and write an album abt 'grown ass problems' eventually. You can't just be all nostalgic, or else you eventually sound like shoegaze kidzbop. This is actually a great way to 'change the discussion' that usually takes place when an album is being evaluated. When ur singing about KID themes, you focus on 'how it feels' as oppose to obsessing about 'how it sounds' in a technical way. It's a good strategy, but M83 is 'technically mature' enough to make that conversation obsolete, anyways.

Their video for 'Midnight City' has children with super powers. Sorta just wish they'd ease up on the kid vibes. We get it, M83. U wish u still had kid vibes, but instead u just play synths and write lyrics about wanting to be an alt version of Peter Pan.

Do u ever start to ride pedophilia waves when u listen 2 M83?

Red Flag #3. BARELY LEGAL Lolita-wave album art

Piggybacking off the vibes of #2, u sorta just don't know what ur supposed to think when u see this album art. U wanna go spend the night with them? R u into 'babysitter porn'? Do u want to be a kid again? Do u want to be a creepy old man who 'gets off' to vibes of youth? I'm confused.

Red Flag #4:Douchey/Pretentious song titles

Moving beyond the actual title "Hurry Up Yall! We're Effing Dreaming, riding twee waves!", it seems like only M83 would 'get away' with these types of song titles.

-'Intro' ALWAYS BEWARE OF ALBUMS WITH INTROS
-'Outro' BE EVEN MORE WARY OF ALBUMS WITH OUTROS
-'Train To Pluton' WHERE THE EFF IS PLUTON?
-'Raconte-Moi Une Histoire' I GUESS THIS ONE IS OKAY BC THEY ARE FRENCH
-'Year One, One UFO' WHAT THE EFF IS THIS UNSOLVED MYSTERY VIBE?
-'OK Pal' OKAY, WHATEVER.
-'Klaus I Love You' WHO THE EFF IS KLAUS? SANTA KLAUSE? I LOVE HIM 2.
-'Claudia Lewis' WHO THE EFF IS CLAUDIA LEWIS?
-'Steven McQueen' WHO THE EFF IS STEVEN MCQUEEN?

Every1 has dumb song titles when analyzed for face value, but these are just sort of funnie. I guess that is a standard M83 gimmick though [via Running in2 Flowers].

Red Flag #5: They are French.


French indie bands get to be way more naturally pretentious. There is a bigger barrier 2 entry for French bands to invade indie markets, but once they become 'branded' as 'legit', they can do whatever the eff they want, even if what they are singing doesn't make sense. Think about Phoenix. Who the hell knows what Thomas Mars is singing? U sorta assume he just wrote lyrics after taking an English As A Second Language class. Oh well. Every1 loves Phoenix.

Maybe France is just branded as 'artsy', so they can do whatever they want. I guess it sorta works. Justice was successful on their first album. M83 has kept it together. Maybe because they live in France, they aren't as obsessed with the American blogosphere, which seems to have a direct impact on the psyches of many American artists. In France, are u more 'free' 2 be an artist? What American buzzband would be 'easier to digest' 4 critics if they were French?

Whenever a band that speaks English tries to do something that is branded as 'very imaginative', it just comes across as 'trying too hard.' French buzzbands can pull off the most Cirque Du Soleil-wave gimmicks evr.

******

The M83 album has highlights, and is probably worth considering an 'admirable piece of art.' However, these Red Flags might alter the long term legacy of HURRY UP, WE'RE DREAMING.

Do u <3 the new M83?
Is it 'flawless'?
Were u taken on a ride with Anthony Gonzalez?
Do u think the album is 10-20% 'overrated' but still 'really solid'?
R u obsessed with kids/youth?
Did chillwave 'exhaust' the entire nostalgia gimmick?
Are ppl being 'too positive' abt this album?
Is Real Estate's "Days" better?
Has M83 perfected bleepybloop music?
What is the album of 2k11?