Oh, this one stings. This one really stings. I can’t tell you how much I love M83. They’re one of THOSE bands. You know, the one’s that soundtrack a really momentous stage in your life, and then you figure you love them so much that you’re going to get a giant tattoo of one of their lyrics across your shoulders so that you’ll remember the phase for ever and ever, and then you get the tattoo and it’s awesome, and then someone tells you that the lyrics are wrong and that you misheard them because the vocals are so distorted, but you don’t really believe them, but then you see a video of them playing live and you realise you really did get them wrong and now you have the lyrics to a Bryan Adams song tattooed across your shoulders. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about.

Anyway, M83’s song ‘Run Into Flowers’ may be the best piece of electronic music ever created but, let me assure you, the lyrics are ‘Give me please some chemicals/ I want to run into’, NOT ‘Give me please some chemicals/ I want to run to you’. Because M83 would never plagiarise Bryan Adams. That would be silly. Now, listen to it loud and fall apart in the wash of sound.

M83 - Run Into Flowers [RIDICULOUSLY HIGH RECOMMENDATION]

M83 (a.k.a. Anthony Gonzalez) is touring Australia in support of his new album ‘Saturdays = Youth’, to be released in April, and he’s doing it with those other super-huge Electrorash favourites, the Midnight Juggernauts. Of course, this tour ain’t coming anywhere near the sleepy little hollow of Perth, but you know, I’m fine with that. No, I really am. However, if you are having the time of your life over on the East Coast, you can check ‘em out at the following gigs:

TUE 11th MARCH - Sydney, Enmore Theatre (LIC / ALL AGES)
+ M83 (France) + Bag Raiders

WED 12th MARCH - Melbourne, Forum Theatre (18+)
+ M83 (France) + Damn Arms DJs

FRI 14th MAR - Brisbane, The Tivoli (18+)
+ M83 (France) + Bag Raiders

And while we’re here, have a listen to ‘Couleurs’ the first single off the new album. ‘Couleurs’ is a slow-building 8 minute electro-tinged number, although it still retains M83’s typical immensity of sound. It’s a lot more propulsive than most of Gonzalez’s back catalogue - especially, say, 2007’s ‘Digital Shades Vol. 1′ which was essentially 80’s ambient revivalism - but it suggests that M83 may not be so odd a match with the Juggers as previously thought.

M83 - Couleurs

Although considering Gonzalez also has the mighty ‘Teen Angst’ at his disposal, I don’t think there’s any real danger of him being swamped by the energy of the Midnight Juggernauts. This is the purest musical distillation of euphoria I have ever heard. Again, listen to it really loud. With your eyes closed.

M83 - Teen Angst [HIGHLY RECOMMENDED]

So good. As a general life improvement gesture then, I thoroughly suggest you procure yourself a copy of the 2001 album ‘Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts’, which is one of the few albums that I think needs to be simply listened to. No driving, no reading, no eating. Just you and a pair of headphones. And some soft furnishings. For extra comfort.

M83 - Gone

Now, go make sure there are still tickets available to the shows, and then buy them. Take someone you love. Then buy the new album when it drops on April 14 - an album which, to up the awesomeness, has been produced by Ewan Pearson (producer for the Rapture) and Ken Thomas (producer for Sigur Ros). Holy flurking schnit I’m excited. And you should be too. In the words of Russell Howard, LOVE THIS LIKE I LOVE YOU.

/fanboy

-luke