DSVII (short for Digital Shades Vol. II) is the eighth studio album by French electronic music band M83, released on 20 September 2019 through Naïve and Mute Records. It is a sequel album to Digital Shades Vol. 1, released in 2007.[2]
| DSVII | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 September 2019 | |||
| Recorded | 2017–2018[1] | |||
| Studio |
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| Length | 56:40 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| M83 chronology | ||||
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| Singles from DSVII | ||||
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Background edit
Anthony Gonzalez said the album was inspired by playing 1980s video games while in Cap d'Antibes in France in 2017, calling the "old-school games" "naive and touching" as well as "simple and imperfect". He was also inspired by the soundtracks of science fiction and fantasy films of the decade, as well as the synthesizer music of Suzanne Ciani, Mort Garson, Brian Eno and John Carpenter.[1]
Recording edit
Gonzalez recorded the album between 2017 and 2018 using only analog equipment, splitting sessions between both his Los Angeles studio and producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen's studio in Glendale, California.[3] Band member Kaela Sinclair contributed vocals and arrangements.[4]
Critical reception edit
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 68/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10[6] |
| Slant Magazine |   [7] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album earned a score of 68, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hell Riders" | 6:47 |
| 2. | "A Bit of Sweetness" | 3:36 |
| 3. | "Goodbye Captain Lee" | 2:25 |
| 4. | "Colonies" | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Meet the Friends" | 3:02 |
| 6. | "Feelings" | 3:55 |
| 7. | "A Word of Wisdom" | 1:42 |
| 8. | "Lune de Fiel" | 3:43 |
| 9. | "Jeux d'enfants" | 2:08 |
| 10. | "A Taste of the Dusk" | 3:51 |
| 11. | "Lunar Son" | 2:45 |
| 12. | "Oh Yes You're There, Everyday" | 5:05 |
| 13. | "Mirage" | 2:46 |
| 14. | "Taifun Glory" | 3:14 |
| 15. | "Temple of Sorrow" | 7:04 |
| Total length: | 56:40 | |
Personnel edit
M83 edit
- Anthony Gonzalez – keyboard, synthesizer, guitar, bass guitar, vocals, producer, programming, arranging, mixing, drum machine, drum pads
- Joe Berry – piano, synthesizers, saxophones, flute, winds, pedal steel, accordion, co-production, string arrangements
- Kaela Sinclair – vocals, vocal arrangements
Additional musicians edit
- Justin Meldal-Johnsen – keyboard, synthesizer, guitar, production, programmer, arranging, mixing
Charts edit
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[8] | 111 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[9] | 98 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[10] | 81 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[11] | 24 |
| US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[12] | 14 |
References edit
- ^ a b Slingerland, Calum (11 July 2019). "M83 Returns with New Album 'DSVII'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- ^ Yoo, Noah (11 July 2019). "M83 Announce New Album DSVII". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- ^ Roberts, Christopher (11 July 2019). "M83 Announces New Album Inspired by Early Video Game Soundtracks". Under the Radar. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- ^ "Kaela Sinclair About". 14 May 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Reviews for DSVII by M83". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- ^ Yoo, Noah (23 September 2019). "M83: DSVII Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ Wilson, Seth (27 September 2019). "Review: M83's DSVII Traffics in Nostalgia But Not Much Else". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – M83 – DSVII" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – M83 – DSVII". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ "M83 Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ "M83 Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 October 2019.