signs of common grace in the music world<\/a>. We hope to alert you to wonderful music, some of which will be spiritual in nature but all of which will be unique and worthy of your attention. Each week we will share brief reviews of albums worthy of your attention and maybe a video or two.<\/em><\/p>\nM83<\/strong><\/p>\nThere\u2019s nothing subtle or understated\u00a0whatsoever about M83\u2019s music. One gets the sense that\u00a0Anthony Gonzalez has no sense of self-restraint: he can\u2019t help but pack his songs with any and every extravagance, from odd movie samples and spoken word bits to celestial-sized synthesizer and shoegazer guitar\u00a0arrangements to healthy dollops of 80\u2019s nostalgia.\u00a0This is M83\u2019s greatest weakness, as it can lead to bloated,\u00a0self-indulgent\u00a0songs, but Gonzalez\u2019s gleeful sense of abandon can also make for a joyous, nigh-transcendent listening experience. As a double album, Hurry Up, We\u2019re Dreaming<\/em>\u00a0walks that fine line due to its sheer amount of material. Gonzalez wins out in the end, though: this is an album that swings for the fences, wears its heart on its sleeve, etc., and only the most curmudgeonly soul dare resist its charms. True, there\u2019s filler: \u201cRaconte-Moi Une Histoire\u201d comes to mind, as do the various instrumental interludes which are pretty enough but also feel rather redundant. However, they are overshadowed by the album\u2019s many high points, which include \u201cMidnight City\u201d, which blows the roof off with its blazing sax solo; \u201cReunion\u201d and \u201cSteve McQueen\u201d, which are glorious bits of electro-shoegazer pop; and \u201cClaudia Lewis\u201d, which puts a smile on my face every time that slap bass comes thumping along.<\/p>\n