M83 - Saturdays = Youth Review

Posted by James Palm on 04.21.2008

Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez returns under the M83 moniker, here to take us on an epic voyage through the sounds and sights of your favorite decade, and mine; the 1980's.

Modern society is, by definition, culturally cyclical. Music especially, as it seems that for every new genre discovery, we still reminisce about the good old days. Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez, the lone man that is M83, certainly has a deep affinity for the music of his youth. Gonzalez has been developing his musical palette since his debut self-titled album in 2001. With the breakout success of his 2005 album Before The Dawn Heals Us, he began to move in the pop direction and for it reached a far wider audience. Now that he has your attention, he has chosen to take his music further into the realm of wistful homage.

From the title alone, we’re informed that this album will be a timeless voyage through the past. But from the first chord we discover Saturdays… will in fact be a voyage featuring the ghosts of genres past. Those of a particular decade. The one that seems to be an influence on half the terrible bands on the planet. Easy as it may be, Gonzalez knows that this decade cannot be ignored entirely, musically speaking, because for all the excruciating failures, there were numerous successes. The recent and pending comebacks of Erasure and My Bloody Valentine demonstrates an audience for new-wave and shoegaze, past and present. Gonzalez has always had admiration for shoegaze, but here his naturally bitter material is uplifted by stadium rock production.

The synthesizer led majesty of “Kim & Jessie” acts as our timewarp. At first the overwhelmingly Tears For Fears rhythm sounds ridiculous, but in time the strings drag you into the morbid romanticism. Every so often they lash out violently in the distance, adding a darker side to a song that could easily fit into the opening sequence of a John Hughes movie. The violin shines again on “Skin Of The Night”, an unashamedly goth ballad. The prominent new-wave sound threatens to de-rail the album, but Saturdays… never succumbs to novelty. Gonzalez retains enough modern sensibility to keep the songs sounding fresh. 8 minute single “Couleurs” is a surprising post-rock dance anthem, a grander version of songs typical of previous M83 albums.

A song that may prove to be too ironic for its own good is “Graveyard Girl”. Compared to the reverential pop that is , it sits out of place as an escalating indie lovesong, something M83 are rarely known for. Gonzalez’ increased vocal contribution signals this shift into more structured pop songs. “Too Late” and others that follow this trend also feel far more sincere than “Graveyard Girl”. Though it is a wonderful track, more than any other on this album it veers into irony. Given the dangers in relying heavily on a dated sound, the songs Gonzalez has crafted are remarkable examples of using decades of time for inspiration, not imitation.

A big reason behind the success of Saturdays… is the addition of vocalist Morgan Kibby. Her haunting voice is accompanied perfectly by Depeche Modian synth lines on “Skin Of The Night” and “Up!”, but even better by a duet with Gonzalez on the evocative “We Own The Sky”. This album is his tribute to his younger days, and by the sounds of this song they weren’t always pleasant times. Kibby’s spoken word introduction to “Highway Of Endless Dreams” continues the darker theme, though the title gives the song an unwanted feeling of angst. Gonzalez has not completely abandoned his old ways, as moments in the latter half of the album, including “Midnight Souls Still Remain” retain M83’s drone sensibilities. The last great surprise comes with “Dark Moves Of Love”, another climactic song elevated by Kibby’s vocals.

M83 has never been for everyone, and neither has ambient pop. Outside of “Graveyard Girl”, this album will not worry the charts. However, despite the many factors working against it, Saturdays = Youth emerges from its new-wave gauntlet unscathed. Individual songs are infectious, and Gonzalez flirts with the notion of a concept album. It would be appropriate if this were one of the last few albums to rely heavily on the sounds of the 1980’s. After all, we are moving into a new decade, and our cyclical society will soon be searching for new sounds to rehash.

The Hit - Graveyard Girl
The Encore - Kim & Jessie
The Wah? - nothing bad enough to warrant a 'Wah?'

The 411: There have been dozens of bad albums over the last few years that took too much of their inspiration from new-wave and electro. But Gonzalez has crafted an album that is both logical continuation of his own sound and reverential homage to genres past. Saturdays... is an album best listened to alone, or at 3am at an open-minded party. But no matter when or how you hear this album, you'll be surprised as to how much you like it.

Final Score:  8.2   [ Very Good ]