Nightclubs In Heaven

French musician Anthony Gonzalez’s ambitious album about the evolution of dreams from youth to adulthood is a mesmerizing masterpiece.

Taking bits and pieces from shoegaze, electronica, and ambient music and molding them into a unique and striking sound all their own, M83 embarks on its most ambitious album to date with Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.  If you aren’t familiar with this band, it is more than likely that you have heard their music used extensively on TV (Top Gear, CSI: Miami, 90210, Gossip Girl), movies (Stranger Than Fiction, A Scanner Darkly, Red Riding Hood), and commercials (Red Bull and Palm Pre) just to name a few.  Their success has come mainly due to their music does an excellent job of communicating with the listener universal understanding of human emotions even when their aren’t any complex vocals or lyrics, and because of that they are the perfect choice to make this musical journey.

From the opening track (“Intro”) you are put into the perfect state of mind to drift off to with Gonzalez and the wonderful Zola Jesus come at you with over-the-top vocals while ambient music pulls at you all the while simple drum beats tie the whole thing together to create music that you can actually start to create a visual with.  The music segues well from track to track, with each song delving into different times and situations in one’s life.  From childhood memories (“Raconte-Moi Une Histoire”), to nostalgia (“Reunion”) to more intimate dreams (“Splendor”), one has to be impressed with the sheer amount of musical landscapes this CD covers.

With more creativity than you will hear in almost any 10 albums put together and a musical landscape that crosses vast areas, this double CD is ready for takeoff into your ears and dreams.