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M83
Saturdays = Youth
(Mute)
First Appeared in The Music Box, May 2008, Volume 15, #5
Written by John Metzger
Wed May 14, 2008, 02:45 PM CDT
Considering that it initially was known mostly for crafting lush,
instrumental soundscapes, M83 managed to amass a significant amount of attention
for itself when it released Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, its
sophomore set, in 2003. The outing likely would have remained the band’s biggest
incursion into the mainstream market had it not been for the major changes that
the group has been making to its approach ever since. The departure of Nicolas
Fromageau left his creative partner Anthony Gonzalez open to doing whatever it
was that he pleased, and on M83’s third endeavor Before the Dawn Heals Us,
Gonzalez began to lay the groundwork for his outfit’s metamorphosis by adding
vocals to his material. Although he carries his ideas further on M83’s latest
effort Saturdays = Youth, the result is a continuation rather than the
culmination of his journey.
Slowly but surely, M83 has been inching forward in its ability to create a
cohesive narrative for its endeavors, and Saturdays = Youth is easily its
most focused effort to date. Instead of weaving a tale through music, as it did
on its early albums, M83 increasingly has relied upon lyrics to tell its story,
and by pitting Gonzalez’s vocals against those of his female counterpart Morgan
Kibby, a dialogue is developed that adds weight to the material. Although
several tracks on Saturdays = Youth were constructed around a mere phrase
or two, the words were selected carefully based upon their ability to move the
outing forward. In fact, the only cut on Saturdays = Youth that doesn’t
feature a vocalist is Midnight Souls Still Remain, and its sadly
haunting, funereal drone provides a fitting conclusion to the song cycle.
The biggest issue surrounding Saturdays = Youth, however, is that it
still isn’t clear where Gonzalez wants to go with his work. Throughout the
endeavor, he employs more traditional song structures, and at times,
particularly during the outing’s opening half, it sounds as if he is intent on
transforming M83 into a retro-pop outfit. Sculpting a love letter to the 1980s,
he draws from the likes of Peter Gabriel, Psychedelic Furs, The Cure, and the
Cocteau Twins. On occasion, he gets it absolutely perfect, too. Graveyard
Girl, for example, may or may not become a hit in today’s fickle, segmented
market, but there’s no doubt that if it had been issued 25 years ago, it would
have been all over the airwaves.
Nevertheless, midway through Saturdays = Youth, everything begins to
unravel. As the set progresses, its songs become a little hazier and less
memorable because the melodies evaporate amidst the more atmospheric textures
and arrangements that are employed. In a sense, the shift in style fits with the
endeavor’s thematic flow, but at the same time, it also feels as if M83 is
hedging its bets somewhat by clinging too tightly to its past. Producer Ken
Thomas — with help from Ewan Pearson as well as Gonzalez — does an admirable job
of framing the material, but he never quite achieves the sort of a transcendent
ambience that someone like Brian Eno might have brought to the project. The
funny thing about M83’s adoption of a more traditional approach is that although
it undoubtedly will help the band to reach a broader audience, it also brings it
closer in line with countless other outfits playing the same game. 
Of Further Interest...
Longwave - There's a Fire
Moby - Go: The Very Best of Moby
Cheb i Sabbah - Devotion
Saturdays = Youth is available from Amazon.com.
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
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