If you already follow me on Twitter then you already know how excited I am to see M83 at FunFunFun Fest. I'm not going to pretend I've loved them since their first album came out but I have been on the M83 train since Before the Dawn Heels Us. I saw them perform at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston during that tour and I will never forget it. Firstly, in that instance I was expecting a couple of dudes with sequencers, synthesizers, turntables and the like. Instead, it was a full four piece band including a drummer wearing headphones with a click-track. The drum fills were breath-taking and the bass guitar was right on point. The thing that stands out the most was something I have yet to see recreated at another show. One of the band members had something that looked like a screwdriver attached to a capo attached to the neck of his guitar. He hit the head of the screw driver, bouncing the metal part of the tool against the neck of the guitar, which he proceeded to move up and down the neck of the guitar. The sound it produced was something I always assumed was some form of keyboard instrument. Their songs sound huge and nostalgic and gorgeous and I can not wait to hear them performed in front of a massive audience in an outdoor setting.
M83 - Midnight City video via YouTube
I feel like I've written this phrase a lot lately BUT the newest album from M83 is called, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming and it WILL be on my best albums of 2011 list. If you haven't listened to it yet, you can hear it on Spotify but I can assure you that it is a different experience listening to it on vinyl. It is a 2 LP set and each side is its own perfect moment. The last song on each side is the perfect side closer and the converse is true of each of the 4 side openers. Personally, I bought the fancy colored vinyl edition, which is an Urban Outfitters exclusive. Don't expect to walk into your local Urban Outfitters and find it in stock. The people at the store seem to have no clue and I know the Austin stores don't have it in stock. However, have them order it for you in store and it shows up at your house a couple of days later without shipping and handling charges. Or, you could (and should) just support your local record shop, they'll have the CD or vinyl copies of the new LP IN STOCK and they'll be able to talk to you about it.
M83 - Raconte-Moi Une Historie video via YouTube
You'll find M83 on the Orange stage around dinner time on Saturday of Fun Fest. They're set starts at 5:45 pm and if you don't have tickets or worse, you have tickets and you miss their set, then we are not friends anymore. Ok, that's kind of harsh, I don't know your financial situation BUT if you miss M83 in Austin this Saturday then we're definitely in a fight.
