Artist: M83

Title: Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts

Label: Mute/Mute Corporation

Cat. #: 9251-2

Release Date: July 26th, 2004

Format: CD (1 x Unmixed)

Tracklist:

01. Birds

02. Unrecorded

03. Run Into Flowers

04. In Church

05. America

06. On A White Lake, Near A Green Mountain

07. Noise

08. Be Wild

09. Cyborg

10. 0078h

11. Gone

12. Beauties Can Die

Review:

M83 became worldwide famous in 2011 and 2012, due to the release of its 6th album called "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" and, specially, to the 2011 single "Midnight City." Some people think that this is a new band, but good Celestia, they're wrong. So wrong...

M83 was formed in late 2000/early 2001 by Anthony Gonzales and Nicholas Fromageu. While I've always said that the place of origin of a musician doesn't mean he'll be influenced by the music in that place, this is indeed something that happened to both Gonzales and Fromageu, and it is the best thing that could've happened. Because of the rich musical culture in France, M83 is a collage of different styles and genres that could go so bad, but it somehow manages to sound coherent. Is like a puzzle with a thousand pieces that perfectly fits.

Right now, I'm about to review the critically acclamed "Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts", M83's second studio album and the last one made by both Fromageu & Gonzales (nowadays Gonzales is the leader). While this one sounds a little bit different to what you heard of it recently, this album is the one that saw M83 becoming the Synth Rock band that it is this day by blending both its Ambient/Noise/Leftfield background with Synth Pop/Shoegaze sounds. This will be an album full of exciting musical textures and beautiful soundscapes, backed up by my own story/interpretation of this album.

Anyway, lets get ready for this musical journey...

Things start with "Birds", a lovely track that practically screams "'Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts' in a nutshell!". Ambient recordings of birds, a lo-fi glitching texture and some lovely strings build up the moment while the glitch texture becomes robot-ish voice which magically fades in and repeats "sun is shining, birds are singing, flowers are growing, clouds are looming and I am flying" before stopping all of a sudden. One of the best ways to introduce an album and the beggining of this journet through several magical places.

Next, the first track of this album kicks in with some strings playing while the toms mark the beggining of one of several great moments. "Unrecorded" is definitely a great musical piece that sounds both so warm and cold. The ambiguity of this track makes it even more appealing, specially with the gloomy pads and the subtle keys on the middle break while an acid synth serves as a texture generator. The contrast in this track is so lovely that the only bad thing is the fact that it ends too soon (at least for me).

Now that we got ourselves a gloomy feeling, is time to get our heads up with "Run Into Flowers." While the shoegaze inspiration is obvious in this one, this is still one of those tracks that works because of it's clever musical structure that can be enjoyed by everyone. Still, I believe there's weird simbolism in this song (a man asking for "peace and chemicals" while a lady repeats "flowers" every two seconds. Can't stop thinking about the 60's somehow...).

If you took some drugs with the last track (somehow...) then is time to confess your sins "In Church." This is a lovely ambient track with some beautiful organs and cleverly used glitchy textures while adding background voices to simulate a chorus. Then the track becomes epic by adding a lovely pad and bass that raises the feeling. This one has to be one of the best ambient tracks ever made (and they do have some amazing sound engineers, in my opinion).

While we get out of church, we face reality once more in "America." The looping ambient recordings lead us to upbeat drums, keys and the use of movie dialogues (something that was used too much on the previous album). All of a sudden the music stops to leave us on with an hypnotic synth note that slowly gets pitched up while bringing back the previous elements and adding a noisey synth to create one of the best moments in the album. The soundscape created by this track is so energetic and up-paced that it'll be hard to continue after moving out of this dead city.

Holy sh*t! Slowly fading in, some strings and the ambient recordings on a mountain (at least that's what it seems to be) introduce another epic moment in this album. "On A White Lake, Near a Green Mountain" comes in and deliver us another ambiguous moment: We feel like this is an epic but melancholic journey to some beautiful but dangerous destination. You can feel both the beauty and desolation of this place with this masterpiece that ends abruptly with a simple yet stunning snare that marks the end of a precious agony.

But this is not the end, no sir. As abrupt as the previous ending, we have a sudden beginning with "Noise," which reaffirms you that this is indeed a Synth Rock album. The beautiful structure is backed up by the tight drums, excellent guitar riffs, beautifully executed keys and all slowly becomes "white" due to the reverb (like, lets say... White noise?! THIS GUYS ARE SO CLEVER!). It feels like my life is just fading away so I can rest in peace from all the hatred and despair...

Or at least it was about to fade away, but somehow I'm safe now, and the journey's not over. Since I'm alive, is time to become part of this place, to leave those dead cities once and for all to embrace this beautiful and desolated place that sometimes seems to be where ghosts hang around and dead wanders. I guess it's time to "Be Wild" and face the other side of the world. Now focusing on the musical aspect, this one is by far iconic and epic. Oddly, this is not as ambiguous as the other tracks (something that has prevailed this far), but more like a "challenge accepted." The lovely lead is backed up by subtle pads and those lovely glitching textures that continue to appear throughout the entire album. Some background vocals before the middle section and BOOM! A beautiful synth kicks in with some perfectly programmed addicional keys that are so playful and harmonic!.. And all of a sudden, we have yet another abrupt ending that cleverly uses the exclamation of a woman in it (AH!-) and some "whistled" delay.

Now, we have to get rid of our feelings to become tough and hard. Is time to become "Cyborgs" to survive this place; this is my mission now. This track is beatufilly structured and cleverly uses some industrial textures and old school 16 bit sounds to sound like real cyborgs. It feels like you're listening to a glorified video game theme. But like 16 times more epic. The climax comes when a guitar is introduced and creates one of harsh moment that makes everything even more beautiful somehow. It slowly fades away while lopping the same section over and over again, like a robot following the same order again and again...

Now, I've survived this place for "0078h" straight, and I'll continue fighting this land. This track is really energetic and has a great pop feeling that anyone can listen to (no wonder why it was a single). The beautifully chopped vocals are a plus and the upbeat drums are awesome! Too bad that it feels like it's out of place (compared to the rest of the album, I mean. After some really lovely and relaxed moments, this one goes too fast!), but is just a really minor flaw.

Wait a minute... I was alive some moments ago. Am I... "Gone" now?! We almost reach the end of this album, and is time to die with this awesome track. The strings sound almost in your face while the drums start to fill the room with their slowly paced programming. Warm pads and other strings join the party before a noisey synth slowly fades in and turns into a scream, a realisation: You're gone. You can feel the desperation in this track, the realisation of your death. And the resignation of accepting the end.

But in the end, I have to see the bright side of things and see the beautiful places you found, the great journey you had and the fact that I've finally understand that "Beauties Can Die." And then become ghosts who are lost for eternity. Just like me. Just like them. Just like you.

Just. Like. All. Of. Us.

And we will come back to this special place we died on. To make the living realise the same. To make them join us.

Forever.

Final Thoughs:

The final track is the end of the journey and I really don't want to spoil a beautiful ending, that's the reason I didn't talk about it. I really love this album to dead. Both Fromageu and Gonzales are musical geniuses and they created one of the most iconic and amazing electronic albums of all time. There is only one flaw in this album and is the pacing and coherent nature lost by "0078h." But, again, is just a minor flaw that won't affect the score that much.

Would I recommend this album? OHFORLUNA'SSAKE!YESIWOULDANDIWILL! It is one of the most perfect albums ever made, and if you really call yourself a music fan you should listen to this as soon as possible. Not many times you find a perfect jewel in a sea of average releases. Seriously, just finish reading this review and go listen to this MASTERPIECE.

9.5/10 solidpoints + cd_solidsnake's seal of perfection.

Thanks to @@Moog for the request. If you keep asking for this kind of albums to review, damn I'll love you forever (why don't you and Dawn join me down that I'm a lost ghost? We have da muffinz here :3).