MUSIC REVIEW: M83's "Saturdays = Youth"

[T. D. Keck]

RELEASE DATE: April 15, 2008
LABEL: Mute U.S.
RATING: 8.0

Anthony Gonzalez is M83, a French experimental musical composer with a niche for loud odyssey soundtracks. If you begin to feel like your flying out of control through the galaxy on a comet with a passion for life, turn down the volume and skip to something safe, like Jack Johnson. "Saturdays = Youth", the fifth full-length album by Gonzalez will be a shift away from the past albums of ear-splitting synthesizer tones, but not completely. This is a good thing for first time M83 listeners. "Saturdays = Youth" separates itself incorporating actual song structure with important pieces like a thing called a 'chorus' without losing the unique style that makes M83. The album contains heavy electronic scores but backs down when the listener begins to spiral out of control followed by a female voice filling the air with captivating lyrics to alleviate the sweating. The album's single "Colours" is a beat-heavy track with catchy synth sounds and can be previewed before the album is released next week for those who need to dance NOW.

M83 Discography :
"Digital Shades Vol. 1" [2007]
"Before The Dawn Heals Us" [2005]
"Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts" [2003]
"M83" [2001]