Before the Dawn Heals Us

M83

M83 makes some of the most cinematic music out there and Before the Dawn Heals Us is a fantastic example of that. This album has action, suspense, terror, and romance. It's all capped off by the supremely beautiful Lower Your Eyelids to Die With the Sun, the first song I ever heard by M83 and in my opinion, the most captivating piece Anthony Gonzalez has created. I love the calm intro with the low synth pads, odd vocal bleeps, and the high pitched yelps that Gonzalez would recycle again on subsequent albums. The synths start to open up and a booming triplet drum feel ushers in the song in earnest. For nine minutes, the walls of synths, choir vocals, and crashing drums are incredibly grounding and hopeful. When I close my eyes, I envision myself just staring up at a clear blue sky as a camera pans around me from below. It's a perfect song, making it difficult for the rest of the material on this record to feel as impactful.

There are a few moments that come close though. I really like Farewell/Goodbye which gives me a similar 'heartbreak over a lost love' vibe like Daft Punk's Something About Us. It's whimsical but also a little mournful. It has wonderfully hushed vocal performances and it is also one of the few tracks in which I enjoy the drum sounds and performances; it is a point of contention otherwise for me. I also really liked Can't Stop which is a song that I'm sure most would find very repetitive, but I love the synth arpeggio and I also love the kooky vocals, especially when that chipmunked layer joins in. It's just too joyous for me not to love. I also really enjoy the shorter, more ambient interludes on this record. I Guess I'm Floating is a little forlorn in tone. That feeling is enhanced with the distant sounds of children playing. I almost imagine watching home videos of childhood birthdays, either reliving your own distant memories or reliving someone else's who perhaps might not be around anymore. Silent Night Shiver is the perfect track for an introspective night time drive. We are placed on the side of a highway, the sounds of cars flying by and tree frogs fill the air.

The more action and suspense oriented moments are where this album loses points for me. Tracks like *, feature grinding guitars and wailing leads that aren't really all that creative. I also tend to not enjoy the drums on these tracks. I don't know how the drums were recorded, but the more active, up-tempo drum parts sound almost sequenced; like hearing the same crash cymbal and tom sounds being triggered over and over. The drum fills also feel kinda unimaginative, sticking with these rigid 16th note rolls but occasionally changing which drums are being struck at any point during the sequence. A Guitar and a Heart is similarly rigid across the entire composition, not really featuring all that much progression and dragging on for quite long. My least favourite track though is easily Car Chase Terror because of the dramatic monologue. I honestly don't know what to make of it. Is she playing multiple characters? Is she crazy and talking to herself? Are they actually being attacked or is it a figment of this person's imagination? I have too many questions and it distracts so much from the music. Gonzalez often incorporates dialogue to enhance the lore of his music, and for the most part, I think it is pulled off successfully. This, however, is just not one of those examples in my opinion.

Before the Dawn Heals Us was M83's first record with Anthony Gonzalez as the main brain. As a result, this record is certainly a departure from previous M83 records: more rock instrumentation, a strong cinematic thread that ties the record together, and more of a vocal presence. To be expected with any large change, not everything is going to work out perfectly and I think Gonzalez would go on to improve some of these ideas on later records (one of which just recently celebrated a ten year anniversary). In any case, this is still a pretty strong record and features my favourite M83 song ever, so it has that going for it. I would recommend this one for anyone who enjoys immersive, cinematic rock and synth-pop.