“Never judge a book by its cover” is an adage so beaten into our collective consciousness that it’s hardly up for debate any more, but if Saturday=Youth is any indication, it clearly has no bearing on album covers. An immaculately tailored Brat Pack of models poses sullenly in the orange glow of an autumn afternoon. It’s no accident that front-and-center sits a young Molly Ringwald look-alike, but the shot’s polish belies the carefully crafted throwback aesthetic. Instead of a 1986 John Hughes set, it comes across as a self-consciously nostalgic 2008 Vogue shoot, and the music follows suit.
The word “cinematic” has all but defined Anthony Gonzalez’s work as M83 and Saturday=Youth is perhaps his most literally film-inspired album to date. Instead of the layered synth-driven soundscapes of Before the Dawn Heals Us, Gonzales presents a more pop-inspired approach on his latest effort that comes across more “soundtrack” than “score.” Fittingly so; Gonzales is candid with his intention to pay homage to ’80s teen movies. “The soundtracks were perfect and the characters were so optimistic,” he tells XLR8R magazine, and unsurprisingly, the album’s sound palette leans heavily on sounds not heard since he was in high school. With Ewan Pearson (of Cocteau Twins fame) on board to assist with production duties, the warped electric drums and echoing keyboards on tracks like “Skin of the Night” are spot-on. However, the perfectionist, halcyon-sounding studio polish keeps the whole effort grounded in the present, leaving the VHS blur of its inspirational material conspicuously neglected.
Admittedly, it’s refreshing to hear a contemporary tribute to the ’80s without the smug and witless “irony” prevalent in today’s music and culture. The wistful buildup of the opener, “You, Appearing,” and even the thick shoegaze of “Dark Moves of Love” are beautifully crafted songs, but the highlight remains the underwater bass-kicks smothered in waves of synths near the end of “Couleurs”–a track that stands out like a sore thumb against the throwback pop that pervades the rest of the album. Ultimately M83 isn’t riding the crest of any cultural breakthrough here; an ’80s-inspired concept album in 2008 is hardly an original idea, ironic or not. If a slickly produced and idealistically nostalgic tribute to Breakfast Club-inspired teenage melodramas of yesteryear is what you’ve been pining for, then you’re in for a treat; otherwise you might just want to keep your head in the present and cherry-pick your favorite tracks from iTunes.
Yes, the album is clearly '80s and John Hughes, but the fact that as a whole it so successfully brings to mind such a specific time/phenomenon (even without the aid of the admittedly blatant cover art) is a credit to Anthony Gonzales. It's something that's hard to realize because the music just fits so well, but the songs are homages, not rip-offs. And they are certainly extremely well written.
Like most shoegaze albums, it isn't meant to be digested song-by-song. The entire album is a tribute to his own experience as a youth, in the context of the music and movies of the time. It distills those influences, almost perfectly. You can't blame him for succeeding.
a valid perspective nontheless ;)