Barely six months after finally releasing their dazzling Dead Cities, Red Seas & Ghosts Stateside, French electronica outfit M83 (now just a moniker for Anthony Gonzalez, actually) are back with their third album this week. The sound in is on average warmer, fuzzier, more melodic and not as understated as its predecessor. While the inclusion of vocals and harmonic choruses in a majority of the tracks here does not always appear justified and suggests a shift towards a more commercial style, most often the melodies feel incidental and (fortunately) do not steal the focus away from the rich electronic layers that remain at the center of M83's sound. Before the Dawn Heals Us is an ambitious album, bordering on pretentious at times, much riskier and irregular and not necessarily more creative than Dead Cities, but the gamble often pays off in the shape of stunning moments of sheer beauty. Check out one of the album's highlights, its new single 'Don't Save Us from the Flames'.
UPDATE (1/26): The link was wrong (no, my tastes are not that retro!) and has now been fixed.
