LogFAQs > #968518977

DoctorBIind posted...

M83 - Car Chase Terror

https://youtu.be/ALBJsKpt7Kg

(2/7.5/9 = 18.5)

Damn this is cool. It definitely captures the feeling of a scrap of a film scene, an in media res gag, and its very effective. It's a track filled with mystery, suspense and dread, and it paints the perfect picture of what the title implies - a terrifying car chase, a mother and daughter in vehicle driving away from an unknown threat, replete with appropriate sound effects, pulse-pounding dual dialogue performed solely by Kate Moran, and the rising action portrayed by increasing the layers and layers of synths, guitars, and percussion, melding post-rock and electronic with class 70s horror-thrillers. You can literally feel the power of the engine, wind rushing by, and tension level rising as the car tries outrunning the pursuing vehicle and potentially barrels off the road.

However, depending on how you interpret the track and its place within the wider concept of the full album, the intended effect is very different. If, on first hearing, you assumed that it was the sound of a simple car chase; you'd be correct. However, with repeated listens, it quickly transforms into different meanings - you notice the voices are suspiciously similar, echoing against each other; as if it's only one woman, talking to her self. You get a distinct impression that the woman is fueled more so by paranoia than self-survival, phasing in and out of fearsome lucidity and comfortable illusion. Perhaps it's a post-death hallucination, perhaps it's all too real.

The ambiguity of the song is what gives it its power. Its a startling sonic experience of horror and intensity that I think will leave a lasting impression on the listener. Whatever your interpretation, the track is another example of how conceptual and multi-layered M83's works are; far from being an alienating thematic void, this song is entertaining, thrilling, and terrifying, much like the many horror movies it takes inspiration from.