By – Kristi Houk

Recommended if you Like: DIIV, Washed Out, Chromatics, Phoenix, Slowdive

Where were you when you first heard the glorious “Kim & Jessie” a track off 2008’s Saturdays=Youth from French musician M83 (aka Anthony Gonzalez)?  I, for one, was relaxing in a kiddie pool one sweltering July afternoon with my good friend, Greg, when he said “You HAVE to hear this.” He was right. Those cinematic, new wave swells – could fit perfectly in a John Hughes movie –  completely swept me away.

Gonzalez has been making solid records ever since. His ninth album Fantasy finds him still interested in that feel-good, electronic rock that he’s been producing for over 20 years and has made him a household name at this point. A description he would likely scoff at.  The songs on Fantasy are a little more obscure, less polished, and heavy on the atmospherics. About half the album could feature nicely as a Terrence Malick film score. The songs say a lot without saying much at all.  He also covers a lot of ground. “Radar, Far, Gone” is an acoustic ballad that envelopes you like a warm blanket which is arguably exactly what we all need right now:

You don’t have to show your face
We only look inside you see
It’s like you only talk in tears
It’s like you know our fears right
Stop looking, come by
Here’s our last chance to be friends

Part of this record reminds me of Beck’s somber 2002 album, Sea Change. It grapples with big themes like friendship, sadness, and loss but instead of pounding you over the head with them, Gonzalez allows them to wash over you- like you’re floating (in that kiddie pool). 

Stand Out Tracks: “Radar, Far, Gone”, “Us and the Rest”, “Dismemberment Bureau”