M83 - Hurry Up, We’reDreaming

Mon 7th Nov, 2011 in Music Reviews

M83 have returned to the limelight with double-album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming in tow, an ambitious attempt to match the all-encompassing acclaim of 2008’s Saturdays = Youth.

Embracing this double-album is every bit as laborious as you might be inclined to expect. Though Anthony Gonzalez’ inspiration obviously arrived in bulk this time around, its execution registers a certain monotony. The first disc of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming appears fundamentally limited while the second disc conceals sporadic and somewhat valiant attempts to break the apparent mould.

Fittingly, Intro kicks off the record, featuring Zola Jesus. It’s as if M83 somehow hipsterfied U2, capturing an epic theatre akin to I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. The much-lauded Midnight City goes on to demonstrate M83’s potent pop sensibilities, the neat, interstellar groove very much a highlight. Reunion does well to maintain momentum, though one might have hoped for a hook more formidable than incomprehensible wailing. Raconte-Moi Une Histoire is soon established as the black sheep of the experience, the spirited electro-pop trip spewing forth with unadulterated glee.

Despite these and other appealing interludes – including Claudia Lewis and Steve McQueen – one should not expect anything quite as striking as the blissfully ethereal 80s-throwback of Kim and Jessie and Graveyard Girl to appear here. M83 only flirt with such brilliance this time around, falling frustratingly short on numerous occasions, entertaining excruciating lulls in the process. Of course, these lulls are best attributed to the repetition inherent in M83’s endeavours.

Gonzalez’ synth-rich dream pop obsession, as much as it yields occasional success, doesn’t exactly play out with much diversity. The album suffers for its insistence, somehow ignoring any inclination towards surprise and intrigue – key necessities for any work that notches up over an hour in duration. That’s ultimately what hurts Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming the most: it blows its load far too early and its attempts at recovery and metamorphosis are thinly-veiled at best, the record concealing an unfortunately predictable body of work. Just as soon as there’s a breather (there’s six spread across the two discs, each under 2:00 long) you can count on M83 to reload as per their one-track mind for sweeping melodrama, in just the same way they have for the entire experience.

Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming captures kind of saturated new-wave, indie-rock assault we’ve come to expect from M83, only this time it’s merely serviceable instead of unequivocally essential. The album’s best moments are typically obvious, with killer single potential sneaking into frame on more than one occasion. There’s mediocrity aplenty however, a hollow grandeur running rife throughout entire stretches of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming and such circumstances make the prospect of ploughing through a double-album somewhat unattractive (despite an admirable showing throughout the second disc to keep things lively).