One of the best singles of the year 'Run Into Flowers' was a breathtaking slab of dream pop for the modern age. As intense as it was beautiful, it was a strong example of how powerful music can be. So hopes are naturally high for M83's attendant album. Unsurprisingly this is very much a "wall of sound" type recording with lots of loud guitar effects and immense keyboard washes but what's missing is a sense of variety. Each track is delivered - or rather hammered home - in a similar beligerent way with what tunes there are either submerged within the oppressive production or simply not strong enough to be sustained for the length of the track. 'On A White Lake, Near A Green Mountain' for example begins like Sigur Ros but beats itself into submission rather than succumb to subtlety. The Chemical Brothers versus My Bloody Valentine may sound like an exciting prospect on the face of it but not when '0078h' is the result. Certainly there are moments of poignancy like the aforementioned single, its lesser sound-alike cousin 'Noise' and a decent riff on 'Cyborg'. Additonally the album maintains a fairly seamless flow from beginning to end. But for all the efforts to sound sumptuous the overall conclusion is that 'Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts' seems over-technical and superficial.