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M83′s Anthony Gonzalez scared by his success

added: 8 Aug 2012 // by: Music-News.com Newsdesk 

M83's Anthony Gonzalez has much to celebrate over the past 12 months. Releasing Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, his challenging double-album project last October, Gonzalez received much critical acclaim for his work. He also saw the album chart in the Top 50 in several countries and the lead single 'Midnight City' burst into the Top 10 on the US Rock and Alt charts. Pitchfork handed down their 'Best New Music' accolade.

'I always said that I wanted to make albums more than singles, and now I have a single that works really well. It's amazing and beyond my expectations, but sometimes I feel like it's a little bit too much and scary.'

What does Gonzalez have to fear from his own success?

Perhaps, he's afraid of the over-saturation of radio play that comes with a commercially successful single. Take, for example, Gotye's 'Somebody That I Used to Know.' The single virally blasted through any obscurity around the artist, and remained the top-spun radio track on the US Hot 100 for 8 weeks. Yet, by his own words, Gotye claimed that he sometimes grows sick of the song and feels as though he lost a bit of ownership of the track.

While 'Midnight City' hasn't had the same commercial break-out as Gotye's single, Gonzalez could be feeling the same way; he told WXRT's Marty Lennartz, 'My music is the translation of my mind.' If so, that cinematic perception that he has crafted could be damaged by a commercial run-away hit. Gonzalez has also identified Hurry Up, We're Dreaming as a deeply personal experience for him; a dedication to his 30 years of life.

Yet, discussing his work on the latest album with 7digital, Gonzalez admitted to being his own worst critic.

'I hate listening to my music. Obviously I have to sometimes, but I'm really shy about it and this is totally never gonna change.'

This shyness may exactly be the fear of his own success, but it does expose a trait in Gonzalez: he finds imperfection in his own work, and may fear a hit single would stall any perception of growth in his musicianship.

'So because I have more experience now as a human being, this album, for me, is more complete than the previous ones. But then probably I will say the same thing for the next album ' it's only going to be more complete.'

While he reaps the rewards of Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, M83's Anthony Gonzalez has every justification for his fears, and it could be one factor that drives the continuing evolution of his talent.



' Eric Secviar, WXRT Chicago

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