Idolized teens

On his third album, Saturday = Youth, M83, a.k.a., French keyboardist Anthony Gonzalez, makes a musical shift from progressive to reflective. M83’s debut album Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts was highly acclaimed for its progressive, adrenalized electronic music. Now, on Saturday = Youth, Gonzalez reflects on his teenage years, delving into ’80s synth-pop for music that sounds straight out of “Sixteen Candles.” The result is mixed, with the nostalgic emotional ambience being triumphant at times, but oversaturated at others.

Saturday shines and shimmers with tracks like “Kim and Jessie” and “Couleurs”: “Kim and Jessie” rings of young love, with a great melody over a lush backdrop, while “Couleurs” builds several layers of sound on top of a heavy beat from a drum machine, making for a lovable funky instrumental track reminiscent of New Order.

M83 completes his desired sound with the help of producers Ken Thomas and Ewan Pearson as well as vocalist Morgan Kibby. Thomas and Pearson help M83 make everything ’80s, from the whispery vocals to the synthesized sound of the drums. The use of Kibby’s vocals makes a nice boy-girl dynamic, adding to Saturday’s emotional core. On “Up!” and “Skin of the Night,” Kibby’s ethereal vocals are soothing to the ears, especially over the layers of keyboards and synthesizers.

Ultimately, this reflection on adolescent love proves to be a bit overdone. “Graveyard Girl” – a song about a young misfit – is bold enough to use a Molly Ringwald reference, including a sound bite that seems to be straight out of one of her movies. “Too Late” is slow and lingering, relying too heavily on the ambience of the music and not enough on the melody. The album’s closer, “Midnight Souls Still Remain” – 11 minutes of only ambient synth – plays like the closing credits to an ’80s chick flick.

The verdict on Saturday comes down to your opinion of the reflective and emotional music of the ’80s. Love it or hate it, M83 has made a masterful rendition.