Early Thursday afternoon, a group of friends and I took a walk around town to take a look at the flooding in our area (Binghamton, New York). We weren’t the only ones taking pictures of and observing the homes by the Susquehanna River which were now mostly underwater. A few people resisted evacuation and rode on, using make shift bridges to move valuables away. The river was to swell at 2pm, and I was surprised when I saw an older lady crawling out of the 1st floor window of one of the houses. The water had risen right up to that window, and she claimed with a tired voice that her house only had an inch of water in it. We couldn’t possibly help her in any way other than conversation, and even that had to end as the police along with the national guard were evacuating the street. Earlier I witnessed probably the most memorable sight of that entire ordeal. A lone news reporter snuck onto a closed off bridge with his camera and marched towards the flooding despite the yells from guards.
As an out of town college student, I took in all of this in with a sort of disconnect, no different than as if I was watching it on the news. I was lucky enough that my house was on a hill and I got two days off from school. I know some people who were evacuated from the flooded downtown, and for them it was really just an inconvenient excuse to party more. Flooded underground bars resumed activity in less than 24 hours and they now just had a new theme. Sure there are dozens of students volunteering at the events center on campus, but when did a little water ever stop the party? The volunteering is just to make it more guilt-free!
I had an idea to write about a rain-themed song today, but then I thought that it would be slightly inappropriate. Today I have for you what can only be described as chillwave fused with 80’s dance music. M83, named after the galaxy, is a French band which describes themselves as electronic/ dream pop, is releasing their newest album in October, and the single which they released has blown away everyone who has had the pleasure of hearing it.
Midnight City opens with bizarre instrumentation and a quick yet dreamy build. That fantastic loop which plays throughout the entire song, I’ve come to the conclusion is simply someone saying “Dat do ‘n Dat” with heavy amounts of audio effects. The bass line and the drums are something which sound like they were ripped straight out of the 80’s. The lyrics are soft and slow during the quick verses. Each progressive one builds on the lyrics with awesome harmonies. It ironically makes me think of rainy city nights.
The song itself is slightly repetitive, but it most definitely in the best way as the band seems to have uncovered some sort of fail proof song structure and sounds. This is the perfect song to listen to on the way home from some crazy party fun. The sax solo at the end is beyond appropriate. Like a perfect finish to the night, it ends the song with a wave of reflection, something incredibly hard to talk through, mainly because it is so blissfully sweet.
This song is available as a free download and is the single off their upcoming album, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, being released October 18th. Based on Midnight City, its gearing up to be amazing. I certainly can’t wait. Hopefully it doesn’t rain for forty days. We’d need a longer sax solo in that case.
-oko
P.S. Worst part by far is having to boil my water to wash dishes or brush my teeth. I’d rather have my house float away.
The Music Court 
Leave a Reply