The best things in life, as we all know, are surprises. We all know what Oasis album no.25 will sound like, we have a good idea what to expect from the next Mogwai record, and hell, we even have a reasonable idea what Thom Yorke's going to do next (hint: it's not going to be a collection of gabba-core party anthems).

Therefore, when something fresh and beautiful drops into your laps, something new, it really is a wonderful moment. Why vegetate in stale conditions, when you can drench in glorious sunlight?

And 'Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts' really is a ray of beauty. A ray of droning, intricate synth beauty yes, but marvellous nonetheless. Hailing from the Gaelic lands, the duo extort beautiful Air-meets-MBV sounds that wash over and encapsulate you with the same wonderful feeling of warm water round your nadgers. Ahem. Or nipples. It's quite perfect, and goes someway to redressing the balance against the boredom of retrocity that we've suffered for the past few seasons. Tunes like the slow-mo immersion of '_Be Wild_' sound like Boards of Canada with a gentle love manifesto, whilst the pure pop rushes of 'Birds' are warming in a sensual, back-rubbing style. The album when required, has pacing and tempo ('Cyborg' for example), allowing it to stay in the forefront of your consciousness, where so many others would let you droop into a drooling slumber, beset by noodling and chic aimlessness.

Skitting across the album of the year charts already, M83 have fashioned something better than the latest album by the latest hot troops in the trench warfare of indie, it's something new and exciting. A wonderful surprise.