Albums of 2011 # 10: M83 - Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

This sprawling epic of a double album saw the French "band" M83 take a giant leap forward with perhaps its most accessible work yet. And I guess for “accessible”, what I actually mean is “potentially commercial”, even though the album (M83's sixth full-length release since 2001) didn’t exactly set any new records for sales.

Apparent darlings of the hipster press, most notably Pitchfork, M83 ("the band") is for all intent and purpose one Anthony Gonzalez (and friends), and Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming is undoubtedly a move away from Gonzalez's more experimental inclinations, despite there being a familiar mix of both fully formed tracks and not-quite-complete-yet interludes right across both discs.

So essentially the core modus operandi remains firmly intact – it’s electronic music first and foremost, but we get more guitar than I can recall on any other M83 release, stronger vocals, and ultimately something quite close to a perfect blend of electro pop and shoegaze. And at 74 minutes in duration, value for money is practically guaranteed.

Download: ‘Intro’ (which features Zola Jesus), ‘Midnight City’, and the genuine highlight, ‘Steve McQueen’ (video link below).