M83
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Mute; 2011
Pink Floyd's The Wall and Smashing Pumpkin's Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness are 2 of the best double albums ever made. Anthony Gonzalez grew up admiring both and has created a double album that belongs in the same elite class as them. Hurry Up We're Dreaming starts off perfectly with an "Intro" into one of the best track of the year in "Midnight City". Such a powerful track that one of the best climaxes ever at 2:43 where everything comes together and then is swept away by a trumpet to its ending. It seems like it can only go downhill from here, but the next track "Reunion" does a great job of retaining your attention with the numerous layers of vocals and harmonies that will eventually have you bobbing your head to it's pleasant chorus after a few listens. The next couple of tracks "Where the Boats Go" and "Wait" have a much slower tempo, but do not hold up the album one bit. The following 2 tracks are a bit of an interlude and I like to refer to the first one as "The Frog Song", it is quite a fun track. "Claudia Lewis" really showcases the 80s vibe this album has. There are a ton of layers in this one and the heavy bass kicks in during the 2nd verse, really driving the track. The remaining 3 tracks on Part One barely span 7 minutes, but Anthony Gonzalez managed to make them meaningful by having some magnificent moments in all 3.
Part Two starts off with the feel of it being the second half of something. At 1:11 the crescendo of heavy notes has a very triumphant feel to it which sets the tone for the remaining tracks. "New Map" is one of the highlight tracks and starts off with a bang. One of the key reasons that make this album so fascinating is how the different layers of vocals are constructed, much like in this track. "OK Pal" starts off sounding like a slight remix of "Midnight City" but offers enough unique qualities to be a quality track on its own. The next few tracks he slows down the tempo a bit and carries you away in a slightly different direction. Once "Steve McQueen" starts it feels like they have all been leading you to this track. Another great track with more of the 80s vibe I mentioned before. The heavy section from the opening track from this half is used again in "Echoes of Mine" seemingly tying things together. One of the more notable tracks on this half is "Klaus I Love You". It is a beautifully constructed track that achieves a lot in under 2 minutes. The outro, "Outro" does an exceptional job of tying everything together and leaves you with a beautiful piano section to wrap things up.
Pitchfork: 9.1 out of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment