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.
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?
Just wanted to 'embed some videos' that are 'relevant', yall.
Music Video: Little Boots - New In Town
Analysis: I think that this video is about a girl from the United Kingdom coming to America, and getting dropped off in 'a black part of town', and exploring what 'black culture is like.' From this video, we have learned that black people 'live under underpasses', 'like to dance', and 'seem like thugs but might not always hurt u.' Not sure about the song. Think Little Boots might emerge into a female artist who I prefer listening to remixes of, as opposed to 'her actual songs.' But I think that there is 'a huge market' for people who want a product like Little Boots.
Analysis: I think there is a point where an artist 'becomes a brand.' Their music doesn't have to be 'good' or 'inspiring' any more, it just has to have enough elements for the common man to recognize the artist when they are scanning channels on the radio. So while this song is 'boring', 'uninspiring', and the lyrics 'seem like they were a poem written by an inner-city 2nd grader', it doesn't really matter because it is the recognizable brand of Kanye West.
"lets go out and film some amazing shit 4 this music video. Let's get some fucking helicopters and film me standing on cliffs and shit." - Kanye West in a conceptual brainstorming session about what 2 put in his music video for the song "Amazing"
Music Video: Bat for Lashes - Daniel
Analysis: It is weird when some1 has a 'really catchy first song' with 'a good first music video' like Bat for Lashes with the song "What's a Girl To Do." I'm not sure if her music is 'still appealing' or even makes sense that the male-dominated music memesphere consumes her/people buy her records. Just seems like a sort of 'aimless' sort of gothy soft rock to me. Think she might be more appealing if she 'wasn't so weird' and '38% more electro.'
Analysis: Just like every other M83 video, this one involves 'teens who are trying to find themselves' or something like that. The song is 'pretty good', but I am not even sure if this video is 'supposed to be compelling enough to watch.'
Music Video: Moby - Shot in the Back of the Head
Analysis: This video was apparently 'directed'/'created' by the famous director David Lynch. Not exactly sure which movies he directed, but I think I read that he was 'Wes Anderson 1.0.' Think that this song is a 'chill' Moby song. I remember when Moby made that album that was strategically engineered to 'go mainstream' since he had a famous person sing on every song. Feel like Moby is an artist who is 'fighting hard' to be authentic/make authentic products. Think I would see this video when I was an impressionable teen staying up late watching MTV2, and 'watch the whole thing' or something.
Analysis: Never heard of this band, but I watched their video, and I think they have a bunch of 'aesthetics' that I might be able to 'like.' Boy+Girl Duet style. 'Minimal' guitar. Drum Pad. 'Shitty video that I might think is cool.' Both singers might be meme-able homosexuals/sex icons. Not even really sure what I'm supposed to think.
Analysis: Some bro filmed a bunch of French ppl yelling at eachother at Cinespace. Not even sure what happened. Guess we'll never know. Seems important, though. Wish I had something in my life 'worth fighting 4'
Have yall seen n e good/relevant music videos lately?
In a world where we don't watch music videos on TV any more, we are presented with the question, "what makes a music video worth watching on a lil screen?" Overall, I'm just looking for authenticity kinda like every other aspect of my life. I don't like it when videos are 'too viral' because that means they will go mainstream.
Videos must be a little bit of everything:
conceptual
earnest
meaningful
arty
artsy
artistic
have a direct relation to my alternative lifestyle
retro
modern
postmodern
campy
serious
not designed to 'go viral.
Which artist has the most authentic music video aesthetic?
Is it M83 with their 80s video camera music videos?
Or maybe it's Thieves Like Us with their earnest music videos that remind us what it of what it meant to be young & authentically care about things/relationships.
Thieves Like Us - Desire
It's DEFINITELY NOT Ratatat with their College Video Art Project Aesthetic. (If I wuz their professor, I would give them a pity "B-.")
Ratatat - "Schempi"
Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" utilizes a Photoshop Smoke Effect. Do yall know how to use photoshop to make ur youtube videos look like children's boox?
Coldtug - "Viva La Vida, Yall"
I feel like at this point, it might be Frankmusik. In this video he utilizes the post-pop Tom Hanks in the movie BIGdancing on neon piano keys aesthetic.
Frankmusik - "Three Little Words"
Should I Blog more about Thomas Hanks / dancing on supersized piano keys?
Which post-bloghaus/indierock/meaningfulcore band has the most authentic video aesthetic?
What do yall look for in quality videos?
Should pitchfork.tv merge with youtube or vimeo?
Should vimeo merge with youtube or xtube or porn0t00b?
What makes a music video meaningful 2 u?
[Photo by Stylesightings] I feel like if you are an entry-level alt girl looking to build a personal brand that is 'interesting', 'free spirited', 'alt', 'sexie', and 'the kind of girl who talks about "kissing boys" in an "I will be young & prettie 4evr"-kind of way ' on her myspace profile, you could easily take any article of clothing or accessory from these three girls to wear at an alternative event. They could actually open up a fashion consulting business for celebrities who need a 'conservative alt' look from 2009-2011.
I also think girls like these have 'abstract' Myspace/Facebook profile information that compensates for their lack of substance. Most of the time, the inclusion of a taken-out-of-context song lyric from an on-the-rise alt-blog-indie hit. For example, their profile will be something like ***************
*************** Do u know any1 with a myspace/FB profile with that kind of expressive information in it?
Maybe all we really want is for our lives' to be as meaningful as an M83music video would appear to be.
"All I ever wanted was a Graveyard Girl." -an Alt Bro who has a crush on a 17 Year Old Graveyard Girl
But SRSLY...what's the deal with M83 videos being about krazie girls who interact with spirits and stuff like that? Why can't they just try harder to fit in, instead of 'trying to connect with people/have people appreciate them for who they are'?
Is it possible to find a girl who just looks like an entry-level alt Graveyard Girl but isn't a weirdo/isn't obsessed with 'kissing boys'?
I think I had avoided listening to the new M83 songs/album because 1) I didn't really understand the album art aesthetic, and it kind of creeped me out and 2) when other people write about the SHOEGAZE genre, it always comes across pretty ghey.
I was really into "Teen Angst" and "Run Into Flowers" back in the day, so maybe I was just afraid of being let down... :-(
But yeah, these new songs are pretty ridiculous. I'm sure Sofia Coppola is rolling around in her grave right now, wishing she could use these songs in a movie trailer, or meaningful ending sequence. I'm surprised there aren't more shoegaze bands these days, instead of so many bedroom producers trying to bang out standard electro hits.
The music video for "Graveyard Girl" really makes me want to go back to the 90s, and get an alternative girl pregnant. It seems like we all could have been a lot more authentic if we were alternative back then.
M83 wrote the hit 2k11 anthem "Midnight City", a religious song about finding faith in the city, which then becomes your church. Anyways, there is some girl in that band named Morgan Kibby. Tons of readers have been emailing me BEGGING for more Morgan Kibby coverage. In this photograph, it seems like Morgan Kibby looks A LOT like some1 that the blogosphere already knows: Maddie Follin from Cults.
Do u think that no other girl in indie should be allowed to swoop her hair/long bangs over her eyes to be 'mysterious' or has Madeline Follin already established this as HER brand?
This would be like if some1 copied Vicki LeGrand's curly mop...
Or if some1 copied Zooey Deschanel's baby blues...
Or Feist's signature bangs...
Or if some1 had the name Alice Glass when Alice Glass already existed...
Madeline Follin has established herself as and indie diva, often singing the lyrics, "We should go outside, yall." Critics could argue for days abt whether Midnite City or Go Outside is a better song, but in the end, maybe we should all just Go Outside at Midnight and Hang Out in the City (Our Church).
Photo via Brooklyn Vegan
Tony, Toni, Tone...
What were u thinking, Tony Gonzalez?
I know ur from France
being the frontman of M83
But cmon bro...
Lighting bolt guitar strap?
Ur the lead singer of a relevant buzzband
And ur wearing a lighting bolt strap?
Cmon bro...
Ur a ROCK STAR
If I were a tween who wanted to play guitar
and my cool stepdad took me 2 guitar center
to buy a crappy starter guitar that would eventually gather dust
I might pick that strap
But ur a ROCK STAR
U eat PUSSIE 4 lunch, bro
Ur above the lightning bolt
Maybe go for something 'classic' / solid
Hell, maybe get something customized
Maybe ur strap could say 'The EmEighteethrees'
Or 'Tony Effing Gonzo'
or 'Hurry Up.We're Dreaming...'
I'm just sayin', bro
Man Up
It's time 2 leave behind ur old guitar strap
goodnite, sweet lighting bolt
Oh Tony Gonzalez... What are we going 2 do with u, bb!?
Is Anthony Gonzalez the hottest hunk in indie?
Do u vibe 2 his guitar strap, or should he be 'more mature'?
What is the most authentic guitar strap?
Is the electro lighting bolt 'actually pretty chill'?
Do u <3 Anthony Gonzalez? Is he an indie hunk>
Is 'Midnight City' the song of the year, or does it 'sound terrible' on live TV?
Do they play enough instruments or just emotionally bang on shit?
Is the girl in M83 one of the hottest bbs in indie?
Is the City Ur Church [via the city is my church]?
M83's hit song 'Midnight City' might be the best of the year. It's a shame that they didn't write anything else as solid on the album except for airy synth bleepy bloops with children talking over it and frogs ribbetting. Don't get me wrong, I'll ride ribbet waves every now and then, but can I sit thru a ribbet-wave double album? No.
Anyways, this bro decided to 'take it upon himself' to 'save' M83. He auditioned to be a backup singer for the band, using his own voice to imitate the bleeps and bloops of M83. I wouldn't be surprised if he is offered a 1 year contract with benefits. His voice would be the perfect complementary element to M83's live set, and he might help Anthony Gonzalez overcome any vocal shortcomings that critics have with his band.
Did this bro 'fix' Midnight City?
Do u <3 M83?
Album of the year?
Song of the year?
Backup singer of the year?
Should he be let in2 the band? M83: Overrated or underrated?
M83 is a French new wave shoe gaze wave band that writes 'epic jams' that sound as vibey as authentic jams from the past, so they have made a career out of 'replicating' pre-existing aesthetics, rebranding them as modern, building a context where the audience is forced to evaluate their work based on feelings & emotions, and every1 likes them. You have to give them props for their brand, but they should still probably strive for a bit more mainstream success. ANyways, they got a 9.1 on Pitchfork, which means that they 'might be a frontrunner for album of the year'.
Do u like the new album, or is it 'more of the same'?
Does it inspire u and make u 'feel hope'?
Do u want 2 hurry up and dream?
Is M83 authentic, or do they just 'exploit' nostalgic feelings in a more direct way than chillwave?
ARe they 'innovative' or do they just 'rip off' other sounds/genres?
It really seems like this review was a 'massive spoogefest.' Feels like the Lord Savior Jesus Christ inhabited AnGo's (aka Anthony Gonzalez's) body 2 make this album.
This sounds like the most flattering paragraph ever written abt a band. Must be the album of the year.
Well, throughout the past decade, the 30-year old Gonzalez has honored the tremendous impact of growing up during the golden age of CD buying by implicitly serving as a patron saint for those who treat the weekly trip to the record store as a pilgrimage and still covet the album as a physical proposition: His output always comes stylishly packaged, with cover art worth obsessing over and credits that need to be scoured in order to spot the guest appearances. Unsurprisingly, he ups the ante here by aspiring to what is still the paradigm of artistic permanence, both in terms of legacy and tactility: the double album, that occasionally ambitious, usually decadent, and almost always fascinatingly flawed endeavor of musicians convinced (rightfully or otherwise) that they're at the peak of their own powers. Hurry Up, We're Dreaming might be all of those things, but above all else, it's the best M83 record yet.
But the most crucial change is how touring with the likes of Depeche Mode has inspired a newfound showmanship in his vocals: Previously, Gonzalez enlisted outside help, piped in plot-advancing narratives, or sang in a low, tentative murmur that submitted to its massive surroundings.
I could be convinced that this is the greatest album ever based on this review.
Few artists make more ingenious use of the sheer physics of rock to this extent-- defining which synth pads strike which emotional pressure points, using percussion as explosives rather than mere elements of timekeeping, coiling the tension of a verse to make every chorus feel phenomenally cathartic even without any words.
This album will make ur life better. NEVER GIVE UP ON UR DREAMS. NEVER GIVE UP [via hurry up {via dream}]
Surely, but Gonzalez never comes off like he's selling a brand, a lifestyle, or even himself-- his lyrics remain as opaque as ever. Hurry Up instead serves as a framework to realize the marvelous capability of our dreams and daily lives, should we be open to experiencing it.
Is this the album of 2k11?
Have u ever read a p4k review that was so directly flattering?
Do u vibe 2 this album?
Is M83 officially 'a top 10 indie band of all time'?
Is Anthony Gonzalez 'more genius' than any indie genius?
Do u vibe 2 this album?
Is M83 'too gimmicky'?
Is M83 the only buzzworthy band in 2k11?
Did M83 'save us' from 'the flames' [via Bon Iver being considered album of the year]?
M83 has some new album coming out, and I'm sure it will be good, with the synthy bleep bloop shoes gazie wavies that make them so popular. I'm not really concerned/interested in all that. Check out their album cover 4 "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming." Those are 2 TOTALLY KEUT alt floozies.
Nothing gets my alternative peen harder than a pair of altfloozies staring right at me. I start 2 wonder everything abt them. How long have they been alt 4...? What kind of music do they listen 2? Where do they shop? Are they going 2 Coachella? What type of alcoholic beverage do they drink? What alt space on which alt part of town do they live on? What do they like doing in their alt free time? What kind of alt guy are they in2? Can I be alt enough 2 be the man of their dreams?
M83 understands that 'sex sells', and their target market will certainly cream their pants to this alternative image.
Do u <3 M83?
Will they break the 9.0 barrier?
Is their music 'fresh' or do they just keep their brand consistent?
Have u ever 'pleasured urself' 2 album art?
Have u been vibing 2 their vibes or not?
M83 is a buzzband that makes shoegazey wave music. It is pretty alright, but they basically just rip off aesthetics then all of the reviews praise them 4 how well they mimicked the existing aesthetic. I dig the gimmick, though, but it helps that they are French bc most Americans look insane when they make this kind of cheesy teaser video. Ppl from Iceland can definitely pull this type of shit, though.
Anyways, the M83 bro pops a floppy disc into a synth 2 prove he is TOTES authetic. Then tons of 'epic' noises are produced, saying, 'We are ready to launch a new album cycle.'
Do true alts have synth racks instead of mahogany book shelves with leatherbound books? Or just IKEA book shelves with Criterion Collection DVDs?
Do u <3 M83?
Can they reach 9.0 status, or are they a 'novelty act'?
Are they an authentic shoegaze?
Are they 'better than AIR'?
Do u <3 this video teaser or is it 'mad cheeseballwave'?