Album Review: M83 – Fantasy

Alluring, celestial and euphoric

The transcendent French electronic music group M83’s blissful ninth studio album, Fantasy, leaves listeners fulfilled with their application of dreamy, sanguine harmonies accompanied by celestial-like vocals that go together like bread and butter. M83 have forged a name for themselves by experimenting in the realms of synth pop, shoegaze, dream pop, electronic rock and more. The album is more than 65 minutes of pure aural stimulus delivered on a silver platter – it will make listeners’ wonder what their lives were even like before discovering this breathtaking, enthralling album. 

The album’s opening track, “Water Deep” kicks off Fantasy with a tranquil atmosphere and simulates feelings of euphoric elevation in listeners. The song starts with a light, airy acoustic guitar progression that loops for about 40 seconds before introducing a reverbing electronic harmony that creates the sensation of the lifting of burdens off one’s shoulders. Around the halfway mark, a new single-chord progression is layered on top of the pre-existing melody, which is slowly drowned out by the escalating celestial hum. As “Water Deep” progresses into its latter half, the sound of digitalized beeping is incorporated into the harmony and fades in and out as the whooshing electronic sounds rise and fall. The sense of self-discovery and adoration for oneself is a prominent feeling throughout the entirety of the track.

The second song on the album, “Oceans Niagara” begins with a repetitive buzzing hum which steadily climbs into a faint drumbeat and Gonzalez’s alluring harmonization of, “beyond adventure,” before the instrumental interlude. “Oceans Niagara” incorporates mesmerizing sounds of booming drums, echoing chord progressions, fizzing electronic harmonies and more to create an uplifting energy–the repetitive lyrics only solidify those feelings, like serotonin is directly seeping into listeners’ minds. All of the tracks have their own distinctive, bewitching concepts; however, songs like “Fantasy” and “Kool Nuit,” are unparalleled in comparison with the other tracks.

The eighth song on the track, “Fantasy” opens with a prelude of light, siren-like chants that fade in and progressively grow in sound as the song continues. As the mix of male and female vocals become crystal clear, the electronic melody whirls and taps around the harmonization before feeding into the upbeat chord and drum progression. The shrill and compelling vocals create an atmosphere of elation. The sampling of clacking sounds, low, hollow whistle blows and clapping electronic noises were only few of the diverse instruments applied to this composition. As the song progresses, there are distinct waves of roaring noise or a recurring plateaus when the track cycles back to the pre-existing verse which gets listeners ready for that electrifying segment of the song. The title track is like a wave of exuberance that washes over the audience, freeing them from the confines of their everyday lives.

Later Fantasy transitions to its eleventh song, “Kool Nuit,” which is primarily vocalized in the French language. The lyrics harmonized by Kaela express feelings of loneliness and wanting to be seen–“Je voyage seule dans le temps / Toute seule / Regarde-moi / Reste un peu,” which loosely translates to, “I travel alone in time / All alone / Look at me / Stay a bit.” However, the track’s instrumentation tells a completely different story, one of meditation and awakening. “Kool Nuit” starts off with wavering, soothful electronics that sound almost identical to a whistling flute melody with sparse placements of dripping tap sounds. Nearing the middle of the track, a tranquil and reflective serenade produced by a violin is incorporated to invoke impactful reactions. M83’s usage of unconventional instruments in their irresistible electronic compositions embodies the effect they have on listeners, evoking pure, genuine emotions to concoct an unforgettable experience for their audience.  

All of the 13 songs on this transfixing, insatiable inspirational message of an album exemplify M83’s unorthodox musical and lyrical approaches that effortlessly grasp each of the themes they apply to their otherworldly compositions. Fantasy not only eases the burdens people carry with them in their day-to-day lives by enlivening listeners, but grants them the opportunity to reminisce about their more carefree and exhilarating days by evoking their rawest emotions.