youthful wonder

M83 has turned in a slightly new, yet old, direction with his latest release ‘Saturdays = Youth.’ Anthony Gonzales, much like his sometime contemporary Ulrich Schnauss, is known for his masterful alchemy of blending shoegaze and ambient electronica. With ‘Saturdays’ he has taken M83 into the era preceding 90’s shoegaze. The influence of 80’s synth pop is heavily prevalent on the new album, yet M83’s penchant for lush layers remain, and are sprinkled with his trademark spacey, almost psychedelic ambient tracks. This is a tricky one. Old school fans may not find the album appealing if they close themselves to the overlapping inspirations of The Cure, New Order, and Ride all in one song, such as in ‘Graveyard Girl.’ Even the video is a miniature 80’s high school flick. But they’d be missing out on a varied album that includes pensive, and ‘slowcore’ moments of the haunted ‘Midnight Souls Still Remain,’ and ‘Too Late,’ and the dense layers of ‘Highway of Endless Dreams.’

If the titles aren’t enough to give you a clue, there is a heady sense of the triumphant nature of youth, drugged by thoughts of its own potential, creating a heightened sense of hope. Yet with youth comes the tragedy of its elusiveness, its fleeting nature, and its eventual surrender to its ultimate master, time. This ironic dichotomy is not lost on Anthony Gonzales, who with ‘Saturdays = Youth,’ creates an ode to the euphoric melancholy of youth.

M83 is currently on tour (Europe, UK, North America), taking with him the chameleon vocalist Morgan Kibby who features on many of Saturday’s tracks. The album is available through the usual avenues, iTunes, Amazon, etc.