M83 Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Headed up by Anthony Gonzalez, M83 have taken a winding trip through beautifully sculpted, electronically embellished indie-pop grandeur over the years. Their ninth studio album Fantasy finds Gonzalez taking the process back to a more instinctive, natural flow born out of extended studio jams, reconnecting with his passion after some of the more commercial peaks and creative compromises encountered along the road the band has travelled. As lead single 'Oceans Niagara' attests, the shift in approach hasn't diluted the power and presence of this most life-affirming of groups.

Review: Apparently inspired by 1980s computer game soundtracks and the synth-heavy scores to fantasy films, M83's "DSVII" is slated as a sequel to the band's 2007 set "Digital Shades". If so, it's a rather belated one, especially considering the French outfit has released three studio sets and a swathe of soundtracks since then. Regardless, the material here is deliciously evocative, emotion-rich and atmospheric, mirroring the ebb and flow (and peaks and troughs) associated with soundtracks whilst relying entirely on i80s-sounding synthesizers and drum machine hits. It's basically synth-wave, with Symmetry's "Themes From An Imaginary Film" - itself based on music initially intended for the "Drive" soundtrack - being an obvious comparison.