Have you ever dreamed that you were walking though a forest, down a dirt path, until a giant mechanical spider blocked your way? He opened his mouth and you stepped in and are shrunk to the size of an insect. You climb onto his belly, only to discover that a murderous cleaver-welding waterbug is after you. I'd hope not but such is the nature of dreams. They unfold and engage on a subconscious level that places our notions of what is real and what isn't in the background; we just accept and move on. Music functions in the say way, in that our conscious expectations are so often wrong that it seems as though the notes bend and change upon each listen. That our mind is following the act of creation along with the artist. We don't question, we just accept. M83 have been soundtracking our dreams for years now. From their debut up to 2008's Saturdays = Youth, Andy Gonzalez has been taking the aural expanse of dreams and laying it bare for us to examine. We may or may not have had the same dreams as him, but we can see exactly where he is coming from. And the fact that he has opted to deliver his latest batch of songs in a double album called Hurry Up, We're Dreaming leaves us wondering as to the epic nature of his recent dreams.
Whatever preconceptions we have of M83 and Gonzalez's take on the inherent double album excesses are quickly thrown out the window within the album opener "Intro", wherein Zola Jesus singer Nika Danilova and Gonzalez, who shows that he can indeed sing, go back and forth in a kind of musical conversation across the reverbed choral framework and synth washed vista that fans have come to expect. "Midnight City" takes its' lead at a sprint, the beat backing a surging synth which disintegrates into a buried vocal line and then comes to the top and this back and forth continues throughout the track to great effect. I'd be hard pressed to find another track this year which will get you moving quicker than this one. Oh, and it has one of the best sax solos this side of Destroyer's Kaputt. But the album can be a bit daunting in the context of its' 22 tracks. It's a lot to take in, in one setting, though that is the best way to experience it. Gonzalez has always been fascinated by the power of music to affect the listener, and on Hurry Up, We're Dreaming he fashions an album dedicated to removing the boundaries between ther listener and the music. As much as he wants us to hear the music, he also wants us to be an active participant in it. Music this inviting and open seldom gets the respect it deserves, but I have a feeling that Gonzalez isn't going to have that problem with this album. Because as much as this music does indeed belong to him, there is a greater feeling that he believes that it belongs to all of us. And that he was merely the messenger for a short time.
Tracklisting:
01. Intro
02. Midnight City (listen to the mp3 below)
03. Reunion
04. Where the Boats Go
05. Wait
06. Raconte-Moi Histoire
07. Train to Pluton
08. Claudia Lewis
09. This Bright Flash
10. When Will You Come Home?
11. Soon, My Friend
12 My Tears Are Becoming a Sea
13. New Map
14. OK Pal
15. Another Wave From You
16. Splendor
17. Year One, One UFO
18. Fountains
19. Steve McQueen
20. Echoes of Mine
21. Klaus I Love You
22. Outro
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