m83 Thoughts

It was announced the other day that my personal favorite band/composer/musician of all time is going to be bringing out a couple more new albums in the next 6 months or so. The first email I got about it was from the m83 newsletter and was in French. The free translation website gave me hints that a new album (or two?) would be coming out from m83!

A couple days later, I received communication in the form of English:
M83, "Digital Shades Volume 1" - OUT SEPT 03 2007 in France & USA
Release date in UK & other countries... will be announced shortly !

Just after the « Before the Dawn Heals Us » US tour, Anthony Gonzalez decided to develop a musical direction already heard on some earlier M83 tracks and he started to write and record a collection of ambient works. Having long been a Krautrock and Eno fan this was a kind of music that Anthony has always been familiar with. Recorded primarily at his home studio with the assistance of Antoine Gaillet, who had previously worked on “Before the Dawn Heals Us” , Anthony was able to work without pressure, knowing he could work on the record at his own time and pace. The idea of digital, relevant during all the process (from creating the music to sharing it), gave him the idea to call the project "Digital Shades vol.1", and to make the album part of an ongoing series.
Originally recorded in 2006, “Digital Shades vol 1” marks the beginning of a new period of activity for M83, since Anthony is already back in the studio working on a brand new album which will be released in January 2008.
This first volume of the Digital Shades series shares many qualities of previous M83 records but also follows its own individual elegiac, lunar and dream-like path. In keeping with the creative thinking behind the album, “Digital Shades Volume 1” will naturally be released on all digital download formats worldwide, as well as on more traditional formats such as vinyl and CD in France.

Now, this is pretty much very exciting. Though I don't know about this whole Digital Shades business...I don't really enjoy ambient albums, but I'm convinced that if I ever DO enjoy one, m83 will produce it. Whatever happens with 'Digital Shades' and the upcoming album in Jan 2008, I am definitely very much looking forward to them both.

m83 myspace (link)