Before the Dawn Heals Us

M83

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 25, 2005)
• Original Release Date: January 25, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mute U.S.
• ASIN: B00070Q8HC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,923 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #16 in	Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Ambient Pop
  #81 in	Music > Indie Music > Dance & DJ > Electronica
  #87 in	Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Electronic Pop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Most druggy music chooses clearly between ecstasy and horror; Anthony Gonzalez deliberately blurs the emotional borders. The French musician, now a one-man-band following the departure of partner Nicolas Fromageau, communicates an awareness that even as the darkest trips have a sick thrill to them, the most pleasurable parts of a lysergic voyage have a creepy aftertaste. On the opener, "Moon Child," you can hear both creepiness and pleasure, as a lucid yet happily stoned female voice reveals that "The whole universe will glow," contrasting ominously with the sort of swelling background choirs Pink Floyd amassed when it was time for their big production numbers. And excitement and fear meld on "Don't Save Us From the Flames"; surreal snippets of lyrics ("Out of the flames/ A piece of brain in my hair/ The wheels are melting/ A ghost is screaming your name") are followed by the name "Tina" in a moan all-but indistinguishable from the airy synthesizers. Gonzalez is less adept at constructing structurally-complex compositions than at tunefully arranging sound effects--repetitive keyboard licks that could've been swiped from a '70s PBS documentary soundtrack and bone-scraping blasts of My Bloody Valentine guitar are among his favorite tricks. But his methods are justified by his sense of brevity, and careful alternating between two speeds--soft epic space-trance and vintage shoe-gazer rave-up--adds to the hallucinatory feel. --Keith Harris

Product Description

Conceptual art/indie with an orbital feel is an apt way of painting the picture of Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez's 3rd full length offering, under the guise of M83 that is the road to depth, outer space and inner peace. Something that is evident from the outset, as the predominantly instrumental mind massager that is 'Moonchild' clears the track to discovery, featuring breath taking music and some low key female vocals covering the topics of astronomy and music. Mute. 2006. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Painfully beautiful: Best of 2005... best in a long time!, January 26, 2005

By	Manny Hernandez "Author of Ning For Dummies" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Take the best of Sigur Ros and Godspeed You Black Emperor, pour all your soul into it, and you have nothing less but M83's painfully beautiful masterpiece, "Before the Dawn Heals Us". Founding M83 member Anthony Gonzalez starts a solo track with this album, showing us what the human spirit is capable of conceiving. He can make you cry tears of joy or sadness equally, with a production that is going to stand the test of time.

There is no song better than the others in this production. The whole album stands firm as a rock, ready to be listened to millions of times, to be interpreted and reinterpreted without fear. Simply put, "Before the Dawn Heals Us" is by far one of the best albums in a long time, and becomes the first one in my Best of 2005 list.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Beautiful And Captivating, January 25, 2005

By	S. Kaplan "Pretentious Jerk" (River Forest, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

M83 adds one simple instrument to the mix on their new album and the entire experience is tranformed. The addition of voice makes Before The Dawn Heals Us seem both more personal and more distant than their previous albums. On Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, you felt as if you were transported to some alien place; perhaps in space, perhaps another planet or universe entirely. On Before The Dawn Heals Us, you are left on the planet Earth. But it is not an Earth we know. It is an apocalyptic world of flames, fear and loss but at the same time a world of hope.

M83 is still an entirely electronic band, but on Before The Dawn Heals Us their synthesizers sound different. Rather than existing solely as electronic sounds, as they did in previous albums, synthesizers here frequently serve to emulate some real world instrument; be it guitar, piano or drum kit. These two differences from previous albums make Before The Dawn Heals Us M83's most accessable and beautiful album yet. You easily become immersed in the album's haunting wails, pounding beats and driving riffs. A few songs have a rather uplifting feel to them (Let Men Burn Stars, Can't Stop), but most have a depressing sense of urgency to them, compelling you to listen further but retaining their sadness. Especially chilling is Car Chase Terror!, which weaves in a truly frightening dialogue between a mother and child with heart racing synths. Overall, this album is completely amazing. It may help you fall asleep, it may make your heart pound or it may make you just want to lie in your backyard, staring up at the stars, but whatever the case, you will definitely enjoy listening to it. Though it's much to early to judge, Before The Dawn Heals Us definitely goes on my Best of 2005 list.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful & strange collection of songs, January 25, 2005

By	Andre Martial Garmendia "Snuffmovie" (Guadalajara, México) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Maturity has reach Anthony gonzalez, and this is not a bad thing at all. The songs are potent and moody, keeping a float its shoegazing charm. The year beggings with a CD that's one of the best albums of 2005. Play it loud and enjoy.