I am not a person who is particularly obedient, but I must unequivocally admit one thing. "Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming" would not only be a command that I would immediately follow, but also one of the most important qualities that humanity can possess. Having dreams means that you not only use your imagination but also have longings and desires that you want to fulfill.
This is exactly where the album comes in: "M83" has created a work with their double album that captures exactly that with somewhat unusual sounds: dreams, longing, nostalgia, and memory.
To do justice to these points, "M83" employs an unusual mix. Throughout the entire album, I could repeatedly notice associations without being able to pinpoint a fixed point. One thing is certain for me: "Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming" is a record that you can lie back and relax to. Is someone lying in the bathtub with candlelight and red wine? The record provides the acoustic answer! Who likes to just lie in bed and wants to take a little journey in their thoughts? Here too, "M83" can respond skillfully. Because the double CD offers more relaxation or film music than the music one would expect. Strangely enough, the lyrics become quite unimportant. This is not because I don't understand the singer (I would be surprised if anyone seriously understood him), but rather because the pure use of his voice fits perfectly with the ambiance. Many reverb effects are used, and the singing is more in the background. Thus, the musical arrangement remains the main focus of this double silver disc, which I will refer to.
Many instruments (both conventional and purely electronic) are used, all of which become noticeable throughout the album. Whether guitars, basses, drums, synthesizers, or other nice things: Sounds emerge that I still know from my childhood; namely from the radio. Everything that was once "in" (and is still broadcast on stations like NDR2) suddenly rises from the depths of my memory and makes me think of the little pants-shitting chaosZx2. All the tones and stylistic devices that the singers and performers of the 80s and 90s worked with seem to unite in "Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming". Sometimes there is also a diligent pairing, so that the different instruments go hand in hand and thus complement each other excellently. Wikipedia describes the style quite aptly in my opinion: "Electro or Dreampop" (although one should not be put off by the name alone). It is really very difficult to describe what I feel about this, so I suggest the attached Myspace link.
Especially the title "Midnight City" (which can also be found on Myspace) evokes the strongest nostalgia in me and leaves nothing but goosebumps. You start to see with the eyes of the past... ah, how beautiful it was back then. But aside from this song, there are of course a few others that closely follow to enchant me. Notably, there are also 1-2 minute pieces between the songs with vocals that are pure instrumentals and are also significantly slower. Very nice!
What is unfortunately also noticeable is the qualitative gap between the first and the second CD. You must not misunderstand me here: CD2 also has some very beautiful songs to offer and has been well crafted. However, CD1 represents the felt center of the entire work. If a few less good songs (for example, "Splendor" or "One Year, One UFO") had been removed or songs had been made according to the "less would have been more" principle ("Echos Of Mine" or "Raconte Moi Une Histoire"), then the storage might have sufficed for a CD that would have been even cooler. But here we are already at a level of criticism that stands in disproportionate contrast to the level of the BILD newspaper. Translated, this means: I am complaining at a pretty high level.
"M83" offers a record for dreamers with their double CD, who can also do without hard and fast sounds to give the "pop instruments" a chance to present their beautiful side. If someone cannot relate to this at all, it is best to keep their hands off it.
For me personally, however, the record earns a very good rating because it brings out my inner child once again and catapults me directly into the 90s. It is simply beautiful when you can rummage through old images from your memory to just dream with your eyes closed. If someone truly values such things and perhaps even feels the same way I do, they cannot go wrong with "Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming". Just a reminder: The Myspace link is still there...
