For better or for worse, the double album has proved a cumbersome torch to carry. In fact, prior to scoring a copy of M83’s latest, I think my pinnacle rested in the hands of the Smashing Pumpkins, whose iconic Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness hit shelves a whopping 16 years ago. Not surprisingly, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming is an epic and expansive affair, as much indicative of mastermind Anthony Gonzalez’s gorgeous back catalog as it is of where he’s going next. Here, synths provide the backbone, but the samples and drum work — not to mention Gonzalez’s most powerful turns at the mike—help create a world that’s as much urban jungle (“Midnight City”) as it is whacked-out fairy forest (“Raconte-Moi Une Histoire”). But the gems lie in the nooks and crannies of this 74-minute epic, like the brutally swelling electro-symphony “My Tears Are Becoming a Sea.”

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