M83

Youth-obsessed Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez, the electronic whiz behind M83, recently turned 30 - and it might be the best thing that ever happened to him. Embarking upon his fourth decade, the synth-pop innovator is adopting a no-holds-barred approach to his work. Case in point: last year's soaring double-disc effort 'Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming', which Gonzalez presents as both a tribute to his childhood and a nod to a time when an album was a tangible, enduring object, rather than an assemblage of MP3s offered à la carte. He isn’t pulling any punches onstage, either; his previously tiptoeing vocals have waltzed to the front and centre, gaining both clarity and decibels. Recommended.