Saturdays=Youth

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dir

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Let's talk about some good music for a change, since I think M83 is criminally underrated here. If you don't know who they are, think electronic shoegazing but with a french element tacked on to it. My Bloody Valentine meets Daft Punk, the chillout daft punk, that is. They've released a new album a couple weeks ago titled Saturdays = Youth.

I've had this album for a while now and been listening to it almost everyday. It's definitely a good album, and holds up well to M83's previous releases. It's dreamy, has an airy ambience, reminds me of teen angst and full of 80's nostalgia wrapped in a good, crisp production.

here's a video of their single, Graveyard Girl: YouTube - M83 - Graveyard Girl video (dir Mathew Frost)

here's a site where you can check out some of their music: M83 -- We Own The Sky

Try listening 'Couleurs' and 'We Own the Sky' from their new album from the link above.

allmusic review

also if you're digging them, try checking out this 8-bit shoegazing band from NY, who've released their album for free download online: The Depreciation Guild
 
Personally i don't feel this album is as great as the last one. It's a lot more vocal centric poppy for one. I've been having a little problem with the many descriptions of this m83 release being 80s nostalgia tinged teenage angst from many different reviews. It's nearly like everyone simply copied from the press kit. The only reason they have that sound is their use of 80s/90s synths, and the rather thin production. It's on every album. It's very much like the production on mew albums or more like some k7, air release, a thinness that recalls that period when everyone dumped their analogue recording gear.

But for me, they seem to resemble a more shoegazey version of the quieter bits of smashing pumpkins than anything else, except for the kevin shields bit, and the fact that SP had more money for the orchestra.


YouTube - The Smashing Pumpkins - Thirty-Three
YouTube - 1979
YouTube - Smashing Pumpkins- "Perfect"
YouTube - Tonight, Tonight - The Smashing Pumpkins
 
I only used the term 80's nostalgia since it's their most defining quality. and there's a lot of bands that could capture teenage angst better, ie. pixies, sonic youth, JAMC are a few. But this album is basically a tribute to the whole coming of age phase or something.

Yeah, it's not as solid as their other albums, particularly Dead Cities. Maybe because Fromageau has left the band. Still, I love the vocal work on this album. It adds an extra layer of mellowness that complements most of the songs well.

and that connection to Smashing Pumpkins is spot on, I just realised.
 
You know, i've lived through the 80s ( :( but alsoo :) ) and there's nothing like m83, except for some bits of old jamc, even then it's just in the vocals and echoey production, but i don't think that's representative of the 80s -- it's just the need for the music press to stick in a reference point to sell the music. Are you sure you've not been co-opted into the m83 press kit meme? *waggles finger* ;p

but anyway, here's a vid of some twee sounding vocals
YouTube - Chapterhouse - Pearl

i'm not sure if there's such a thing as music representative of teenage angst as well. It's something that could be applied to any music of it's time -- currently and forever meaningless.
 
ac said:
Personally i don't feel this album is as great as the last one. It's a lot more vocal centric poppy for one. I've been having a little problem with the many descriptions of this m83 release being 80s nostalgia tinged teenage angst from many different reviews. It's nearly like everyone simply copied from the press kit. The only reason they have that sound is their use of 80s/90s synths, and the rather thin production. It's on every album. It's very much like the production on mew albums or more like some k7, air release, a thinness that recalls that period when everyone dumped their analogue recording gear.

But for me, they seem to resemble a more shoegazey version of the quieter bits of smashing pumpkins than anything else, except for the kevin shields bit, and the fact that SP had more money for the orchestra.


YouTube - The Smashing Pumpkins - Thirty-Three
YouTube - 1979
YouTube - Smashing Pumpkins- "Perfect"
YouTube - Tonight, Tonight - The Smashing Pumpkins
Click to expand...

my opinion is that Before The Dawn Heals Us was a full out electro that sounds very cinematic and rocking. there was this sense of urgency going throughout that album.

Saturdays=Youth was kinda softer and less cinematic. But i remember the first time i listen to the album as a whole before reading any sort of critic or review, i thought of love and childhood immediately. And perhaps with feelings like that, it's natural that it should sound softer. And Morgan Kibby has got to be one of the best guest vocalist ever to appear on a M83 album.

I agree with what you say about it having very much the same production as Mew's album. For me it's like i can't get the whole message, power and feel that the album is actually sending out. It's just like you are trying to grasp air.
 
ac said:
You know, i've lived through the 80s ( :( but alsoo :) ) and there's nothing like m83, except for some bits of old jamc, even then it's just in the vocals and echoey production, but i don't think that's representative of the 80s -- it's just the need for the music press to stick in a reference point to sell the music. Are you sure you've not been co-opted into the m83 press kit meme? *waggles finger* ;p

but anyway, here's a vid of some twee sounding vocals
YouTube - Chapterhouse - Pearl

i'm not sure if there's such a thing as music representative of teenage angst as well. It's something that could be applied to any music of it's time -- currently and forever meaningless.
Click to expand...
like you said, it's mostly the 80's/90's synth, it sticks out since nobody uses them anymore except to sound tacky and to emulate daft punk.

no sir, I've seen no presskit meme, i got my reviews from allmusic and pitchfork only, and I hardly read pitchfork except for shitty reviews because they amuse me with their pretentiousness.

and you're right about the teen angst aspect, but I think there's some albums that more representative of it, Radiohead - Ok Computer, The Smiths - The Queen is Dead, Nirvana - Nevermind. Although looking back it's all subjective. anyway i'm just taking the easy way out and just describing m83 how everyone else is. that and the fact that they have a song titled 'teen angst'.

anyway we're missing the point. the point is M83 is awesome and everyone should be listening to it.

Raistmar, try listening to Jesu - Silver EP. Asobi Seksu is another good modern indie/shoegazing band.

YouTube - Jesu - Wolves
YouTube - Asobi Seksu - Thursday
 
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yeah, daft punk's samples are pure quality. and it's not that far anyway for Broadrick, he just mixed popcentric vocals with more guitar layers. Still it got people to scream 'sellout!', just because his new stuff is better than the old.
 
ac said:
but anyway, here's a vid of some twee sounding vocals
YouTube - Chapterhouse - Pearl.
Click to expand...

ah, chapterhouse..I love old school dream pop. Anyway there's a new re-issue of their second album, Blood Music, out.

also this is unrelated, but listening to glass vase cello case by tattle tale always remind me of teenage angst for some reason. maybe because I first heard it in 'But I'm a Cheerleader'.
YouTube - Glass Vase Cello Case
(pardon the shitty roswell clips)
 
fans of shoegaze should check out nugaze bands like Hammock and also Monster Movie. Both already old news but then... why not? hur hur hur.
 
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