The Dark M83

At one point, there was another half to the French electronic band M83. Anthony Gonzales had help from Nicolas Fromageau, but shortly after co-founding the band together, Fromageau parted ways with Gonzales and later moved onto his new project, Team Ghost. And while Team Ghost has released four EPs and a compilation album, Rituals is its first true full-length album.

The first track, “Away,” along with “Dead Film Star” will sound familiar because these are the same songs released on 2012’s Dead Film Star EP. And the somewhat depressing song names don’t stop at “Dead Film Star.” The song “Pleasure That Hurts” sounds just as eerie as the name; “Things Are Sometimes Tragic” is the longest track and perhaps something to calmly fall asleep to; and “Blood” starts out slowly, but soon folds out into a great, upbeat instrumental piece. And “Zeit” sounds like an intermission between “Things Are Sometimes Tragic” and “Blood.”

Title track “Team Ghost” sounds like something that the high school goth kids of ten years ago who were desperately trying to find anything dark, black, or industrial would listen to. The vocals aren’t as quiet and intertwined with synthesizers like most of the album, and Fromageau is talking more than singing.

Fromageau’s project is slow-moving. It took about three years for the band to release its first EP, and then three more to release Rituals. The album shows clearly why Gonzales and Fromageau went their separate ways. The two just see differently, and ultimately there is nothing wrong with either of their visuals, unless you count one being more popular than the other.