M83 - Saturdays = Youth

Thu 17th Apr, 2008 in Music Reviews

Those who aren’t really into instrumental music always wonder what its point is. To kill silence in the background maybe? An aid for insomnia? Perhaps. But don’t be surprised when the hypnotic sounds and words of M83’s new album Saturdays = Youth get to you. It’s their fifth album and they still know what they’re doing.

Following the release of Digital Shades Release Vol. 1 just last year, their new release is a compilation of melodic nu-gaze tunes. Though minimal lyrically, the electronic trio makes another mark through the combination of reverbs, synths and keys. The tracks have – œ80s and – œ90s sounds but are reminiscent of the flow of Explosions in the Sky. The gradual build-up of the piano mixed with produced sounds in You, Appearing is a good start to the entire album. With less than ten words in the song, the powerful track sucks you right in. Kim & Jessie sounds like a 1980s pop hit right off the bat but the magnetic male vocals make it an original M83 tune. Combined with the synths and keys used, Kim & Jessie is simple yet honest.

There’s a dramatic – œ90s prelude to the chorus in Skin of the Night, almost like a Celine Dion song. Now, admit it. She has some pretty good and catchy songs: M83 just make their sounds cooler. Saturdays continues to surprise me as the more upbeat rhythms of Graveyard Girl make me want to bop my head and try to sing along. Though by the two-minute mark, M83’s signature softly-spoken lyrics seem too pretentious; a poem out-of-place. But as the bass and the chorus-like sounds interrupt, I can’t help but understand how right the song is.

The instrumental tracks on the album don’t rival the songs with lyrics. Though necessary to the M83 sound, Couleurs and Highway of Endless Dreams just seem inapt. The mix of male and female vocals in Saturdays = Youth make the album balanced, though distinct. The album brings a holy transcendence many artists with the same sounds can’t achieve.

Though it might take some getting used to, Saturdays = Youth is still not a cure for insomnia. You’ll want to listen until it finishes. And when it does, you’ll go right back and listen again.