Avial by Avial (Phat Phish Records)
Transcending the barriers of language and yet oozing tons of international appeal, Avial’s self titled album has all it takes to make a legend. Each of the 8 songs is either beautifully...
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M83 - Saturdays=Youth
"Oh we flee the scene of our little crime We feel so free But the hounds of law they bite our heels As we retreat Up to the planets up to the bodies of the galaxy Of the galaxy we fly we feed we suck we bleed we need..."
With these words, M83 takes you on a rapturous journey through a reverb-filled starry night, drowsy in the pale purple glow of the northern lights, drenched in the haze of their magical music. M83 is an electronic band composed of musician Anthony Gonzalez. Although formed in 2001, along with Nicolas Fromageau, and having already released four albums in the last eight years - Saturdays=Youth, their fifth album released last year seems to be the sound that nails them as one of the most innovative acts coming out of Europe. M83 seems to follow the so-called musical style of shoegazing - with its extensive use of reverb and lyrics over loud instrumentals as it entrances the world with their blend of 80's electro pop suffused with a narcotic spellbinding quality. Whatever be the genre, it is great music -- The voices muffled and ensconced in the luscious layers of music.
The highlight of the album is the magical and talented voice of Morgan Kibby, the vocalist of The Romanovs, giving her voice for the album. The singer finds prominence in the classic "Up!" with her voice almost floating ethereally over the vapory evanescent music.
One of the best songs on the album is the cinematic "We Own The Sky". The music is at once strident yet gentle, galloping with spirit, yet seemingly thrilled by its own beauty. The lyrics are vague but seem to talk about humanity's ambition to reach further and further, trampling things in its way. It ends on a thrilling note, ambitious in its vision, and beautiful in its grandeur - "It's coming, it's coming now! / It's coming, it's coming now!"
Another favorite is the rambunctious "Graveyard Girl" - a girl who collects crowns of black roses but has a heart made of bubblegum. In its blend of rock and electronic music, its narrative style, and its tongue-in-cheek lyrics of stuttering adolescence and growing up - the song is a gem, shaped by the personality of Graveyard Girl.
Another gigantic electro-pop ditty is the endearing "Kim and Jessie". The characters seem to live in the private world that the music in the song creates - music that is ethereal and otherworldly, like the world of love two adolescents create, while reality lurks "in the shadows" to break their illusion. M83 says the song is about a drug trip. However anyone relates to it, for the song is a great journey through the 80s wonderland - the age of kitschy campy music, icons and colors. Who said the 80s were bad for music!
Completely drenched in reverb is "Dark Moves of Love". Each song on Saturdays=Youth seems to have a connection to the music, and this particular song seems to be lurking in the dark haze of smoke, broken by stuttering disco lights. The lyrics are almost impossible to decipher, and the lyrics is a repetitive loop made all indistinct by the music. "Too Late" is distinctively different from the rest of the songs - slow, somber and retrospective.
"And if you are a ghost /I'll call your name again/ And if you are a ghost/ I'll call your name.... / You, always."
Saturdays=Youth is an album, as the name implies, about youth, about Saturdays, about the time when nothing is too difficult, nothing is too wrong, nothing is too unsafe. It is a celebration of the spirit of youth, and each song tells a distinctive story with the music - about drugs, about dreaming, about finding release, about discovering who you are, about loss. This album is a masterclass in music and a must for anyone who wishes to revisit the 80s. Track listing "You, Appearing" "Kim & Jessie" "Skin of the Night" "Graveyard Girl" "Couleurs” "Up!" "We Own the Sky" "Highway of Endless Dreams" "Too Late" "Dark Moves of Love" "Midnight Souls Still Remain" "Until the Night Is Over" [iTunes bonus track; previously released on the "Don't Save Us from the Flames" single]
Watch the award winning video for We Own the Sky here:
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