Music Monday! Let's Modernize The 80's... Week of 3/15/21

Hello hello!

Last week, we explored one of the heaviest albums ever made by the Indie-Rock Queen -- Mitski. However, for this week, I wanted to throw another curveball at you with one of the most genius '80s themed albums of all time. This week, we'll be pairing tea-time with Junk by M83!

M83, a French-Electonic band quickly sky-rocketed to fame with their hit-album, 'Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (2011). For at least the next five years, and even now, you couldn't turn on the TV or radio without hearing one of the tracks from that album. While riding on the 80's elects-theme of 'Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, M83 flipped the scrip by going from a spiritual journey to a funky-fresh one. While M83is taking a break from taking on larger projects, heat your kettle, put on your headphones, and be prepared to be transported into the land of Kenny G-inspired saxophone solos, and Punky Brewster...

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(Photo: Property of M83 Recording Inc.)

Album: Junk

Artist: M83

Year: 2016

Primary Tea Pairing: Sheng Puer

Secondary Tea Pairings: Shou Puer and White Tea

In M83's 7th studio album, we're brought into a retro-futuristic world where we're automatically transported to an 80's funky piano-riff, twangy electric guitars, and a 2010's rave-drop. The mental visualizations of VHS-projected neon-colors immediately intertwine with the introduction's serious tone to quickly set the serious, yet goofy soundscape is here to help you grove in your seat. As the album progresses, it gets funkier, goofier, and emotional -- all at the right moments. As the album continues to go on, you're hurdled through outer space and land in a Macy's mall elevator that possesses a poster for an upcoming TV hit -- Punky Brewster.

Despite thematically transporting you to a Judi Sheppard Missett jazzercise infomercial, this album takes a serious tone musically and lyrically. One of this album's strengths lies in re-introducing the long-lost music sensation of solos. Yes, solos! This album brings back the musical-solo and features saxophone solos, electric-guitar solos, electronic key-board solos, and even a harmonica solos. With solos and other retro-themes, M83 ties in these themes with the current state of modernized-pop music currently sits to tie in a wide-variety of influences that seem to effortlessly work when M83 orchestrates them together. To add a cherry on top of this mix, M83 also features the vocal talents of Susanne Sundfør and Beck.

This album is fantastic to listen to with tea time because it's not only captivating and helps bring out the best in the wheel of emotions this album captures. This album captures child-like nostalgia, and despite being fun, also strikes a strong emotional chord. This album also makes for a great- music-and-tea pairing because it flows beautifully from song to song -- enhancing all of the best attributes of meditating with tea. When this album ends, you will too be transported to the back-seat road trip of your dad's van as the orange highway lights glow into your tea session...

~The Oolong Drunk

Blissfully Tea Drunk

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