Digital Shades Vol. 1

M83 | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 28, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mute U.S.
• ASIN: B001G5ZNIW
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,585 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #58 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Ambient Pop

Track Listings

1. Waves, Waves, Waves

2. Coloring the Void

3. Sister, Pt. 1

4. Strong and Wasted

5. My Own Strange Path

6. Dancing Mountains

7. Sister, Pt. 2

8. By the Kiss

9. Space Fertilizer

10. The Highest Journey

Editorial Reviews

M83 (named for the spiral galaxy Messier 83) is Electronic artist Anthony Gonzalez. M83 's Gonzalez and former member Nicolas Fromageau founded the group in 2001 in Antibes, France. Key to M83's style are attributes often associated with shoegaze which is the emphasis on tonality, extensive use of effects and often softly-spoken lyrics at times submerged in instrumentation. Whether guitar or synthesizer based, M83's parts typify the tone common both to dream Pop and contemporary Electro. All three of M83's albums were well received, in particular Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, their second album, which allowed them to break through to a larger audience.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of 2007: Even better than "Before The Dawn Heals Us", September 11, 2007

By 

Manny Hernandez "@askmanny" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Digital Shades, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

Two years after M83 released "Before The Dawn Heals Us", the brainchild of Anthony Gonzalez comes back with an album that takes their sound to a place that is even more heart wrenching than it was before. Picking up the quieter, more ambient moments of the previous album, "Digital Shades Vol. 1" is positioned to become an ambient classic from the get-go.

If you like what you listen, you should go and dig into Raising Your Voice Trying to Stop an Echo by Hammock, The Dead Texan and And Their Refinement of the Decline by Stars of the Lid. If you don't like what you hear... get yourself checked. :)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Route 1 or Catch 22, October 16, 2007

By 

S. Dudhia "espikewar" (Johannesburg, South Africa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Digital Shades, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

The release of this album was somewhat of a surprise with the unusual rush. This may explain why the length of the album is but only 35 minutes. Although, as the name has it, Digital Shades Vol 2 is only expected to be released in 2011.

That not really being the problem, for many M83 fans who have noticed a progressive change from the Electro outfit that M83 was to an infusion of sound and noise establishment, this album has come at a bit of a surprise.

Given, Anthony Gonzalez has decided to go on a route that was first noticed in his debut album selftitled "M83". But this is still vastly different in that gone are the drums and bass that would fill all voids in previous albums. Instead, a progressive nature is felt through all tracks where as one moves into the song, new chords and organ-type feel music comes into play. It is almost as if as the more you listen to the song, the more of a trance you are getting into. The melodics go very well and is designed to be listened to at low volumes in an ambietic nature apart from "Colouring The Void".

All in all, this should actually have been the debut album for M83 to allow the progression to still continue.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How M83 Got Their Groove Back, October 16, 2007

By 

Matthew Comegys (Ueda, Nagano, Japan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Digital Shades, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

I approached this new M83 disc with a little trepidation. The title and barely promoted release smacks of a mix album along the lines of "Late Night Tales." Don't let that dissuade you as "Digital Shades Vol. 1" is in fact a proper album. Additionally, the word that did get out on this album stressed the ambient nature of it. Considering M83 previous sound with dramatic crescendos and pulsing percussion, I worried that this would not play to the group's strengths. Fortunately, this was also an inaccurate assumption.

Truthfully, this isn't really an ambient disc, at least not along the lines of Aphex Twin's or Brian Eno's ambient work. I'd compare this more with early 80's Tangerine Dream albums such as Tangram. Still, M83 carves out its own distinctive niche, and it's a glorious one.

The sweeping grandeur of M83's synths and compositions make this an instant electronic classic. Everything here is strong, which I can even say for the groups previous impressive, but sometimes spotty albums.

In fact, my only complaint is the running time. We end up with about 35 minutes of music, which is pretty odd for an electronic album. Mastermind Gonzales is definitely leaving me salivating for more. Let's hope there's a volume two soon.