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Saturdays = Youth

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Saturdays = Youth
Studio album by
M83
Released11 April 2008 (2008-04-11)
Recorded2007
StudioRockfield (Monmouth, Wales)
Genre
Length62:12
LabelVirgin
ProducerKen Thomas
M83 chronology
Digital Shades Vol. 1
(2007) 		Saturdays = Youth
(2008) 		Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
(2011)
Singles from Saturdays = Youth
  1. "Couleurs"
    Released: 25 February 2008
  2. "Graveyard Girl"
    Released: 28 April 2008
  3. "Kim & Jessie"
    Released: 21 July 2008
  4. "We Own the Sky"
    Released: 1 December 2008

Saturdays = Youth is the fifth studio album by French electronic music band M83, released on 11 April 2008 by Virgin Records. The album was produced by Ken Thomas, with co-production by Ewan Pearson and M83 frontman Anthony Gonzalez.

The album yielded four singles: "Couleurs" in February 2008, "Graveyard Girl" in April, "Kim & Jessie" in July and "We Own the Sky" in December. "Kim & Jessie" was placed at number 256 on Pitchfork's list of "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s" in August 2009.[4]

As of October 2011, the album had sold 76,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[5] Sales outside of France between 1 October 2011 and 30 September 2012 reached 152,300 copies, according to Le Bureau Export.[6][7]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic70/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Alternative Press[10]
The A.V. ClubA[11]
Blender[12]
The Boston Phoenix[13]
The Guardian[14]
Pitchfork8.5/10[15]
Q[16]
Slant Magazine[17]
Spin[18]

Saturdays = Youth received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 70, based on 29 reviews.[8] Andy Battaglia of The A.V. Club wrote that Saturdays=Youth "boasts a more expansive sense of space" than the band's previous albums, and opined "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."[11] Dave Hughes of Slant Magazine stated, "Although many songs still build toward walls of synth that flirt with white noise, the trademark crescendos are both leavened and deepened by being recast as textural objects and woven into lyrical pop songs."[17] Brian Howe of Pitchfork noted that Saturdays=Youth's songs "disperse in all directions: Producers Ewan Pearson and Ken Thomas spread the melodies and beats into a sound world of uncommon vibrancy and pristine clarity, mounted on a massive yet now more proportionate scale", adding that the album "meaningfully diversifies M83's catalog while retaining Gonzalez's indelible fingerprint."[15] Drowned in Sound's Alex Denney commented that "Gonzales has taken a dive head-first into the lexicon of '80s pop culture and emerged with a clutch of winning tracks that borrow openly from any number of pin-ups of the era and glaze them in his breathy, expansive shoegaze sound his to generally winning effect."[19] AllMusic reviewer Heather Phares concluded, "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. For all of its nostalgic haze, it's some of M83's most focused music."[9]

In a mixed review, Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian expressed that "[t]o call Saturdays=Youth derivative is to pay it a compliment, because every retro synth sounds calibrated to provide the maximum nostalgic rush—if not for your own adolescence, then at least for that of a poetic outcast in a John Hughes film", but noted that "[i]t's a shame the songwriting evaporates in a haze of rote shoe-gazing and ambient murmurs halfway through."[14] Dan Raper of PopMatters felt that "it is a little disappointing that the point of Saturdays=Youth kind of misses the point. The more conventional 'song'-like material does have something of M83's stately grandeur but feels somewhat hollow, probably because the slow-burn's integral to the act's power."[20] Benjamin Boles of Canadian newspaper Now believed that the album is "more derivative and familiar than Anthony Gonzalez's past work as M83, which means it's more accessible but also less innovative and original. All the dreamy, ethereal glitter drowns the songs; the album overall is mostly about texture and nostalgia."[21] Spin's Mosi Reeves was unimpressed, writing that "[o]nly a few compelling songs, particularly the lush darkwave instrumental 'Couleurs' and the breezy shoegaze rock of 'Graveyard Girl,' emerge from the bathos."[18] Ben Hogwood of musicOMH found that "M83 still show plenty of guile and in their best moments present music of hidden power and grace. But in this record they seem to become too preoccupied with their 80s tribute for that to continually shine through."[22]

Pitchfork ranked Saturdays = Youth at number eight on its list of "The 50 Best Albums of 2008" and at number 111 on its list of "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s".[23][24] The album was also named the best album of 2008 by Drowned in Sound and Urban Outfitters.[25][26]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You, Appearing"Anthony Gonzalez3:40
2."Kim & Jessie"
5:23
3."Skin of the Night"
  • A. Gonzalez
  • Kibby
6:12
4."Graveyard Girl"
  • A. Gonzalez
  • Y. Gonzalez
4:50
5."Couleurs"A. Gonzalez8:34
6."Up!"
  • A. Gonzalez
  • Kibby
4:28
7."We Own the Sky"
  • A. Gonzalez
  • Y. Gonzalez
5:02
8."Highway of Endless Dreams"
  • A. Gonzalez
  • Y. Gonzalez
4:35
9."Too Late"
  • A. Gonzalez
  • Kibby
5:00
10."Dark Moves of Love"
  • A. Gonzalez
  • Y. Gonzalez
3:18
11."Midnight Souls Still Remain"A. Gonzalez11:10
iTunes Store bonus track[27]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Until the Night Is Over"
  • A. Gonzalez
  • Nicolas Fromageau
6:10
Japanese edition bonus tracks[28]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Graveyard Girl" (Yuksek Remix)
  • A. Gonzalez
  • Y. Gonzalez
5:13
13."Kim & Jessie" (datA Remix)
  • A. Gonzalez
  • Y. Gonzalez
  • Kibby
5:00
14."We Own the Sky" (Maps Remix)
  • A. Gonzalez
  • Y. Gonzalez
5:09

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Saturdays = Youth.[29]

M83

[edit]
  • Anthony Gonzalez – vocals, keyboards, bass, guitars, piano
  • Loïc Maurin – drums, percussion, guitar, bass, keyboards
  • Morgan Kibby – vocals, piano, keyboards

Additional musicians

[edit]

Technical

[edit]
  • Ken Thomas – production, mixing
  • Ewan Pearson – co-production, pre-production
  • Anthony Gonzalez – co-production, pre-production, mixing
  • Richard Matthews – recording assistance
  • Jolyon Thomas – guitar technician
  • Tom Bailey – mixing assistance

Artwork

[edit]
  • Anouck Bertin – sleeve photography
  • Anthony Gonzalez – art direction
  • Paul A. Taylor – art direction assistance
  • Louise Downer – artwork design

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Saturdays = Youth
Chart (2008) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[30] 173
US Billboard 200[31] 107
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[32] 1
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[33] 4

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for Saturdays = Youth
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Australia 11 April 2008
EMI [34]
France 14 April 2008 Virgin [35]
United Kingdom Mute [36]
United States 15 April 2008 [37]
Germany 9 May 2008 EMI [38]
Japan 1 July 2009 EMI Music Japan [28]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Leas, Ryan (13 April 2018). "M83 'Saturdays = Youth' Turns 10". Stereogum. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  2. ^ Howe, Brian (3 February 2011). "White Sea: This Frontier EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  3. ^ Terich, Jeff (5 April 2012). "10 Essential Dream Pop Albums". Treblezine. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  4. ^ "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 500–201". Pitchfork. 17 August 2009. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  5. ^ Mason, Kerri (22 October 2011). "Double Down". Billboard. Vol. 123, no. 38. p. 35. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "French Export Certifications 2012" (PDF). Le Bureau Export. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Abous us". Le Bureau Export. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Reviews for Saturdays=Youth by M83". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  9. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "Saturdays=Youth – M83". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  10. ^ "M83: Saturdays=Youth". Alternative Press. No. 239. June 2008. p. 137. ISSN 1065-1667.
  11. ^ a b Battaglia, Andy (14 April 2008). "M83: Saturdays=Youth". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  12. ^ Dombal, Ryan. "M83: Saturdays=Youth". Blender. Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  13. ^ Steel, Sharon (15 April 2008). "M83: Saturdays = Youth". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  14. ^ a b Lynskey, Dorian (11 April 2008). "M83, Saturdays=Youth". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  15. ^ a b Howe, Brian (15 April 2008). "M83: Saturdays=Youth". Pitchfork. Retrieved 15 April 2008.
  16. ^ "M83: Saturdays=Youth". Q. No. 263. June 2008. p. 145. ISSN 0955-4955.
  17. ^ a b Hughes, Dave (14 April 2008). "Review: M83, Saturdays=Youth". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  18. ^ a b Reeves, Mosi (April 2008). "M83: Saturdays = Youth". Spin. Vol. 24, no. 4. p. 100. ISSN 0886-3032 – via Google Books.
  19. ^ Denney, Alex (23 April 2008). "M83 – Saturdays=Youth". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  20. ^ Raper, Dan (14 April 2008). "M83: Saturdays=Youth". PopMatters. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  21. ^ Boles, Benjamin (29 May 2008). "M83 – Saturday = Youth". Now. Vol. 27, no. 39. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  22. ^ Hogwood, Ben. "M83 – Saturdays=Youth (Mute)". musicOMH. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  23. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2008". Pitchfork. 19 December 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  24. ^ "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 150–101". Pitchfork. 28 September 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  25. ^ "Drowned in Sound's 50 albums of 2008". Drowned in Sound. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  26. ^ "Best Music of '08". Urban Outfitters. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  27. ^ "Saturdays = Youth by M83". iTunes Store. United States. Archived from the original on 4 January 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  28. ^ a b "M83 / Saturdays = Youth" (in Japanese). EMI Music Japan. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  29. ^ Saturdays = Youth (liner notes). M83. Virgin Records. 2008. 5099952058424.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  30. ^ "Lescharts.com – M83 – Saturdays = Youth". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  31. ^ "M83 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  32. ^ "M83 Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  33. ^ "M83 Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  34. ^ "Saturdays=youth – M83". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  35. ^ "Saturdays = youth : M83" (in French). Fnac. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  36. ^ "M83: Saturdays = Youth". HMV. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  37. ^ "M83 – Saturdays=Youth". Mute Records. Archived from the original on 17 November 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  38. ^ "M83 // Saturdays=Youth" (in German). EMI Music Germany. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
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