Music Review: M83 - Fantasy

I think the term 'a return to form' is overused nowadays. M83's last two albums Junk and DSVII weren't very good; I didn't buy either and I've never played any of the tracks more than once. One's a 'disco' album, a dance-inspired load of noise, the other simply didn't grab me at all. IMHO, It was also the only real rubbish phase Anthony Gonzalez has ever gone through, because most of his back catalogue has stuff in it that lifts him way above just being the EDM/Banging Tunes musician that people think of because of tracks like Midnight City and Teen Angst. He and the band he plays with are really a post rock, shoegaze, electronic pop band with dance influences.

This album reminds me of Saturdays = Youth and Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, but this is far more indie rock influenced post rock electronica and the banging dance tunes are few and far between. It's uplifting but it's also dark and mysterious. It's like a 21st Century homage to rock, pop, prog and new wave of the 1980s, with its big sounds, sweeping crescendos and snippets that feel like they've been lifted from someone else's albums.

It's still 'modern' but it's an album and not a collection of songs. There are faint whiffs of prog in it; some weird key changes and epic riffs, but there's also that dreamy shoegaze that M83 has always had hiding on B-sides of previous albums and Gonzalez's own version of 'wall of sound' which is why it reminds me of prog at times specifically Radar, Far, Gone and Sunny Boy.

I haven't been 'taken' by an album in quite a few years; very little has been listened to on repeat since 2019 and many of my 'best' albums of recent years have been things I've played maybe as little as twice. Fantasy however has been on rotate for the last few days and every time I listen to it I hear something new; there are stand out tracks, but so far there's only one duff track - oddly enough it's the title track - and that's not that cheesy. 

If I had to give this album a label it would be 'epic' - it's full of big music, with lots going on and so many influences. It's a cracking album. I love it.

9/10