Hazy debut album from French electro-rockers M83.In their original incarnation, M83 debuted in 2001 with a haunting and dreamy landscape of synth heavy instrumental collages. Tracks like “Sitting” and “Night” are great examples of the adventurous dream-pop that the band will later be known for. “Slowly” is another sample of their wide skill set, sitting apart from the ambient nature of the album with a 4/4 beat and a classic Fischerspooner vibe. Other highlights include the stutter-speak found on "Kelly", the echoing radar on "Facing That" and the serenity of "Carresses". Many of the tracks are shorter interludes that help the album flow seamlessly and showoff the groups cinematic compositional skills. This album is a nice backward glance, a chance to see the foundation being laid for the glorious pop that they will soon furnish. Also, notice the cleverness of the song titles – as you read them in order they spell out a lovely short story. This reissue comes on 18-gram wax and includes a free MP3 download.

• music label: M83 2014

reviewed by boumtje-boumtje 2014