Review Summary: An aural form of running through flowers is lost, and is translated into a collective form of teen angst that is to be digested and savored by the ears.
The phrase: “third time's a charm” has become a paradox over the years, you know? In literature, the third novel is often considered the worst of the series; for examples, just delve into His Dark Materials, The Amber Spyglass and the rather cheesy example, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. In musical terms, said paradox is not nearly as applicable, and I cannot cite any major examples from notable artists. However, stumbling upon M83's third effort, Before The Dawn Heals Us, I had this quaint sensation that this album would fall to this metaphorical plague's knees, and would subsequently be a complete failure.
But, I decided that this release was worth listening to, as M83's Dead Cities, Red Seas, and Lost Ghosts was a stupendous building-block for musical growth. I wanted to hear M83 flesh-out their sound, broaden their horizons, expand their lyrical competency, add emotion to the mix, retain their flare, and stay as interesting and all around superb in the same album. And my desire blinded me from the risks as they usually do, and here I am, listening to the diaphanous symphony, the pleasure that is effectively woven throughout this album.
A somewhat pretentious, somewhat melancholy, somewhat salient monologue starts Before The Dawn Heals Us off on the right foot with “Moonchild.” Here, a breathy Kate Moran almost soughs out “Some say I made the moon.” This can easily be seen as the infection of overwhelming self-confidence, the plague of braggadocios behavior. Perhaps a certain woman by the name of Moran should hide on the dark side of the moon for once?
Things continue with “Don't Save Us From The Flames,” which summarizes the album's expertise which is generating apocalyptic, electronic-based, pop music, that has more substance than the typical, radio-friendly, toxic pop persona that has infected the modern world with its presence and undeserved popularity.
Whilst “Fields, Shorelines, and Hunters” is built off an indie sort of vibe, “*” is a purgative shoegaze anthem. “Teen Angst” is probably the poster-child for this album, being featured in the trailers for the film, A Scanner Darkly, and across music stations nationwide. The aforementioned track alternates between buzzing synthesizer work that melds into a scope of spacey trance music, to all around epic shoegaze. The latter exudes emotion, hushed vocals, a diaphanous symphony, a choir, and interesting, albeit repetitive rhythms. The synthesizer and the crescendos that lurk within this track are the definite highlights of said song, and truly make the album a more fulfilling purchase overall.
Before The Dawn Heals Us is truly an achievement for a band of any status. Armed with superb musicianship ranging from stable drums that change pace effortlessly, guitars that keep a great rhythm going for just the right amount of time, and great synthesizer scores that alternate effortlessly from said spacey trance and epic shoegaze. The only complaints are minor and are limited to too large of an amount of repetition and perhaps too pretentious of lyrical work. Still, they have created a bigger piece of which they have built off of, and can continue to build off of for hopefully many years to come.
Overall Score=3.9/5.0
