M83-Saturday=Youth
I rarely stay up late enough to take in Late Night with Conan O’Brien. I’m an old man and I need my beauty sleep. When I do decide to take in the show, I’m invested right up until the moment when the obscure musical guest is on. I’m not averse to listening to new things, but in my many years of watching televised bands, more often than not, they just don’t come off well.
As I was about to follow tradition last night, I was stopped by a band that looked as if it had been frozen in time during the 1980′s New Wave scene and Conan’s crew had just recently unthawed them. From the drum machine and the drum kit encased in a sound shell (the better to isolate and produce the hell out of it’s sound) to the lack of bass player and massive amount of synthesizers on stage, it was as if 1983 were new again.
And then they started playing. As soon as the opening, synth laden chords of M83′s latest single “Kim & Jessie” were played, I was looking at the screen and waiting for Molly Ringwald to flounce onto camera with one or more of her Brat Pack co-stars.
Hailing from Anitbes, France the group M83 is everything the 1980′s new wave scene was, plus a little of the angsty “shoegazing” music that’s so trendy with the kids these days. But really, was the music in 1983 New Wave much more than Shoegazing tracks? Different debate for a different time, maybe. Regardless, M83 has such a nostalgic, distinctive sound that you can’t help but get warm feelings in the nostalgic center of your cold heart when you hear the tracks.
Their latest album, Saturday=Youth, could have been ripped out of a John Hughes soundtrack with it’s happy melodies, drum machine beats and nostalgic synth sounds layered until you choke on the memories of playing G.I. Joe in the backyard. But it works. Damn it, it works. Where this kind of thing can often be a wink and a nod to the money that 80′s nostalgia rakes in these days, M83′s latest outing feels more like a proper homage. It’s not adding these sounds to be trendy, it just fits the music. It’s a characteristic sound, to be sure, but one that has been carefully and lovingly crafted to produce the same feelings and moods. Making music so akin to something that was popular over 20 years ago and making it sound fresh and relevant is no easy task, but M83 has managed to do just that.
The band is currently touring with The Killers but if you can’t catch them in your area, the M83′s music can be found at all the usual places. There’s a much more cogent review of Saturday=Youth over at PitchforkMedia.com, which is a site you all should be checking out anyway. You can also check out the band’s official page, ilovem83.com if you would like to hear some samples of their music.
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Tags: john hughes, M83, new wave, saturday=youth, throwback
January 28th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Kim and Jessie is amazing. This disc has been chillin’ in my car over the past week.
I don’t get why I found this disc in the techno section tho.
Hilden, we have curiously similar taste. “hmmm” indeed.
January 29th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
ooohh… I’m liking this. Maybe I need to watch more late night TV. If you like these guys, you might want to check out múm (if you haven’t already)
http://www.myspace.com/mumtheband
múm are more mellow, but with a somewhat similar style… plus, I really love them and will take any chance to pimp their music.