Backstory: The French electronic duo M83 named themselves after one of the brightest galaxies in the sky, and their music was appropriately and unapologetically grand and celestial. Their second album, 2004’s “Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts,” was a critical breakthrough, but the duo soon became Anthony Gonzalez’s solo project. “Saturdays = Youth” is his third album since the split.
Why you should care: When he sings wistfully of “kids of the woods/they’re crazy ‘bout romance and illusions” (“Kim & Jessie,” one of the album’s highlights), Gonzalez is not going for wink-wink, wait-for-the-Rickroll kitsch. His affection for the ‘80s is genuine—and also proof that a miserable, misunderstood adolescence isn’t a prerequisite for a career in music.
Verdict: Few do synth-driven musical melodrama as well as Gonzalez, and “Saturdays = Youth” finds him embracing a warmer and poppier sound, particularly during the album’s stronger front half. The later stretch sinks into some pleasant but anonymous shoegaze territory, despite the guiding hands of producers Ken Thomas (Cocteau Twins, Sigur Ros) and Ewan Pearson.
X-Factor: Gonzalez’s affection for ‘80s music is obvious, but he’s said that he may be even more influenced by ‘80s movies. “Graveyard Girl” was directly inspired by a vision of Molly Ringwald dressed in black, and a Ringwald ringer adorns the album artwork.
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