M83 play Lee’s Palace on November 18. See listing. Rating: NNNN
Considering Anthony Gonzalez’s tendency toward oversized melodrama and unfiltered ambition, it’s not a shock to see his M83 release a double album. More surprising is that it’s taken this long.
With a band this reliant on big, synthy climaxes, there’s a danger that the album could turn into 80 minutes of nothing but crescendos. There is plenty of that, but Gonzalez also proves adept at pacing, surrounding M83’s bigger, more anthemic moments with ambient instrumental interludes and balladic “comedown” tracks.
That leaves room for a few go-nowhere experiments like the twee child-narrated Raconte-Moi Une Histoire, but it also means that when the highs do hit, they hit hard. It’s a shame that the biggest moment – the epic one-two punch of Midnight City and Reunion – peaks so early.
Top track: Midnight City
