M83 - Saturdays=Youth
[Mute]

The fourth album proper from the Côte d'Azur collective provides us with a heady dose of electronic-tinged shoegaze, with more than a subtle nod to a decidedly giddy brand of atmospheric eighties pop.

The record seems to have M83 team leader Anthony Gonzalez putting more emphasis on vocals than he has on previous albums, and although there are still plenty of lush instrumentals for the listener to be engulfed by, the tracks which are focused around a more traditional song structure are the ones which tend to leap out from the pack when you're encountering the album for the first time.

'Kim & Jessie' and 'Graveyard Girl' are both stunning, containing vocal lines featuring Gonzalez and Romanovs singer Morgan Kibby combining to beautiful effect, as they rise above the soundscapes to bring us a couple of Gallic pop gems, full of the youthful exuberance hinted at by the album's moniker. Another one to watch out for is ‘We Own The Sky’, which could easily be Joy Zipper covering Tears For Fears.

Previous single release 'Couleurs' also draws attention to itself by dint of being one of the dancier numbers on offer here, but for all its initial momentum and fine textures, interest in the piece begins to wane a fair while before its at eight and a half minutes have clocked out.

M83’s blurry wall of synths and strings won’t be to everyone’s taste, but nevertheless the album leaves you feeling that the sense of dizziness and emotion so often associated with adolescence has still been captured here in a rather endearing fashion.

Saturdays=Youth tracklisting

1. You Appearing
2. Kim And Jessie
3. Skin Of The Night
4. Graveyard Girl
5. Couleurs
6. Up!
7. We Own The Sky
8. Highway Of Endless Dreams
9. Too Late
10. Dark Moves Of Love
11. Midnight Souls Still Remain