Somehow, I almost completely missed this band. Probably because Pitchfork named their latest LP Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming as their number three album of the year.
M83 are a French electronic shoegaze band that has made a serious name for themselves stateside. This particular show was a Live 105 Radio show and Passion Pit went on before them. I can only imagine that Passion Pit is saying, “We have more hits,” and maybe they do, but they have a hell of a long way to go before they can take on a masterful performance like the one I would witnessed that evening.
Why is this band so great? Several reasons. Number one they are probably the closest thing to early Pink Floyd that generation Y will ever see live. Number two, I love MGMT and this is what they should be evolving into. And finally, they put out a double record in a world of single downloads, and they produce a wall of sound live that would make Phil Spector proud.
If you are asking yourself “Have I heard M83 before?” the answer is probably, yes.
Their track “Midnight City” is a super rarity in today’s overpopulated musical landscape. It’s a song that has the ability to bring the hipsters and non-hipsters together with the tech community where they can all agree on something instead of fighting over which Radiohead record is the best. But it’s much more than that. It has the shoegaze characteristics of My Bloody Valentine which now brings in the old schoolers and has elements of Air which appeals to the art community. This band truly has it all.
They have toured with the Killers, Depeche Mode, and Kings of Leon. Is there any other band on the planet that can cover that gamut? I think not.
I could go on forever about how great this band is but I encourage you to do so for yourself. I will let the pictures tell this story. Put on their new record, turn it up loud and scroll down for a full on rock ‘n roll picture show.
Were you at the show? Have you seen M83 live before? Please join the conversation in the comment section below.
