Saturdays = Youth

M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Critic Score
Based on 19 reviews
2008 Ratings: #394 / 806
Year End Rank: #11
User Score
Based on 426 ratings
2008 Rank: #97
Liked by 41 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
A.V. Club

For all the awe kindled by the effectively perfect sound in a transcendent highlight like "Kim & Jessie," the real triumph is that M83 uses such a setting for more simple melody and emotion than ever before.

90
AllMusic

As super-stylized as its sounds and emotions are, Saturdays=Youth always seems genuine, even when it feels like its songs are made from the memories of other songs.

90
Under the Radar

Saturdays=Youth contains some of the band's best songs to date.

85
Pitchfork
After a pair of impossibly huge, overpowering records, M83's Anthony Gonzalez changes up his sound, ditching maximalism for beauty and drama. His new album is dense with 1980s new wave tropes and teenage memories, reflecting the soft-focused mythology of eternal summers and young love.
84
Coke Machine Glow
Of course it’s cheeseball, as we all were at that age. But that’s ultimately what makes this accessible, highly-listenable album a reinvigoration of both catalogue and genre.
81
The Line of Best Fit
He notices the emotional similarities between the grandiose gestures of the ‘80s and childhood and nudges them further together. The true hero of the day is melody though – the best friend for teenagers and wannabe-teenagers in any decade.
80
Slant Magazine

Though analog synthesizer remains definitional of the M83's sound, they open the arrangements to include more naturalistic instrumentation as well. The approach allows this band named for a galaxy to seem more grounded, and yet more universal, than ever before.

80
Paste
The clear standout, though, is 'Kim & Jessie,' which convincingly recaptures the magic gloss of Tears for Fears with a propulsive undercurrent and an elegant use of space. One of the best songs of 2008 so far, it’s the key destination in a stunning journey.
80
No Ripcord

Saturdays = Youth finds itself in the higher echelons of '08 so far for radically different reasons, and, unpredictedly, it wouldn't be too surprising if M83's decision to avoid making a by-the-numbers album saw those overdue dividends finally reaching them.

70
Drowned in Sound

Predictably there’s a slide towards more abstracted material toward the latter half, and parts of Saturdays=Youth are all hairspray and no body, but the whole thing sweeps along with such an irrepressible mix of youthful invincibility and flouncing fatalism it sucks the wind right out of your cheeks before you’ve had chance to huff.

70
Alternative Press
M83's latest flight into the synthesized stratosphere is so steeped in '80s influence, it;s as if teen filmmaker John Hughes was lurking behind the keyboards.
60
PopMatters

Saturdays=Youth isn’t an unqualified success, and probably won’t be as warmly welcomed by fans as M83’s previous albums have been. Still, there are plenty of moments on the disc that remind you why this pulsing, layered music is so powerful.

60
musicOMH
A real mixed bag, then--M83 still show plenty of guile and in their best moments present music of hidden power and grace.
60
The Guardian

To call Saturdays=Youth derivative is to pay it a compliment, because every retro synth sounds calibrated to provide the maximum nostalgic rush.

60
NOW Magazine
Surprisingly, the least pop-based tracks stand out most.
50
SPIN

M83 needs to step out of the ’80s and back into the future.

40
Tiny Mix Tapes
I’m deflated again, as all Gonzalez does with this blank canvas for electronic experimentation is cycle two chords over and over with a little synth sprinkled on top.
40
Uncut

Saturdays=Youth is embarrassingly earned.

40
Q Magazine

Halfway through ... Gonzalez's self-indulgence gets the better of him and you're left with half-baked ideas and little else.

TomBejoy
82

Big W for getting ed sheerans whole family on the album cover

ST4T1C
75

"Saturdays = Youth" is a slight stepdown from M83s previous material. Reasoning for that is because of some really bizarre choices in creativity that leads to a lot of the songs on here feeling like copy pastes of a bunch of other songs from the 80s. This does lead to some incredible songs tho, like "Kim & Jessie", "Graveyard Girl" & "We Own the Sky", all three of which are damn masterpieces. However, the rest of the songs on here are just ... read more

SnowyFighter
85

The dreamiest nostalgia

Yeah, this album really does feel like a nice nostalgic dream sequence, and that’s all I could ask for. I love the feeling of this album. The production is unreal. Kim & Jessie is SO GOOD like it just carries THAT feeling. Something about it genuinely feels like reliving your Pat and holding on to that memory. Beautiful. Too Late has an amazing piano melody. You Appearing has a godly build into the second track. We Own The Sky is just really good overall. Love ... read more

Krolljr
95

This is so close to a perfect record for me. Whether that be from the slow any hypnotic build of tracks like You Appearing or Too Late, to the synthgaze pop bangers like Kim & Jessie or Graveyard Girl that make me feel like I'm living in a Forza Horizon Pulse Playlist. This album has some of the best pop-oriented music M83 has ever put out, and some really great deep cuts as well. My only problem with this record is that for some reason I just absolutely cannot stand the track Up! I can't ... read more

justfrog
72

I'm not as into this era of M83, but this is still a really solid album. My standout tracks are: "Skin of the Night," "We Own the Sky," "Dark Moves of Love," and "Graveyard Girl."

82

Kim and Jessie is 100. That's all, nothing else to say

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Track List

1You Appearing
3:39
84
2Kim & Jessie
5:22
91
3Skin of the Night
6:12
85
4Graveyard Girl
4:53
88
5Couleurs
8:36
80
6Up !
4:27
78
7We Own the Sky
5:04
91
8Highway of Endless Dreams
4:35
80
9Too Late
4:59
85
10Dark Moves of Love
3:18
83
11Midnight Souls Still Remain
11:07
55
Total Length: 1 hour, 2 minutes
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