M83 - Gone

Most people seem to forget that the astoundingly brilliant French shoegaze (I refuse to use the word ‘newgaze’) act M83 was once a duo. It’s foolish to understate the impact of the schism between Anthony Gonzalez and Nicolas Fromageau following the tour for 2003’s Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. The follow up, Before the Dawn Heals Us, was, without a doubt, one of the best albums of 2005, but many of the new songs lacked the cinematic melodrama and conceptualization that made Dead Cities such an emotionally gripping listen. “Gone” stands as the former duo’s shining moment, a slow churn of bubbling anguish that ruptures into a torrent of despair. This track is heavier than life.