Two LP set. Saturdays-Youth is an 2008 album by French electronic group M83. The album was recorded with Ken Thomas (past work with Sigur R¢s, The Sugarcubes, Cocteau Twins and Suede) and Ewan Pearson (produced for Tracey Thorn, The Rapture and Ladytron). The album delivers the rich sonic textures with a more focused approach to song structure and form. "Couleurs" is the first single and the second single is 'Graveyard Girl'. The album hit number 107 on the billboard 200.

For their fifth album, Saturdays = Youth, France's M83 conjures up the 1980s in all their candy-colored glory. Even the cover portrait, showcasing models in rolled-sleeve blazers, peg-leg pants, and pastel prom dresses, evokes John Hughes' high-school classics Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club. In the liner notes, singer/multi-instrumentalist Anthony Gonzalez thanks the individuals who "made my teenager years so great!" and in "Graveyard Girl," he name-checks Molly Ringwald (he also takes a page from the Air playbook with allusions to stars, rockets, and other notebook-doodle favorites). There's a difference, however, between poaching from the past and recreating it. Despite the abundance of pretty-boy (and girl) vocals, oceanic keyboards, and big electronic beats--recalling '80s icons from Simple Minds to Kate Bush--Saturdays feels more like an affectionate tribute than a cynical carbon copy. Like the couple at the heart of "Kim and Jessie," Gonzalez is "crazy about romance and illusions," but all is not sweetness and light as a few numbers betray a Tim Burton-style Goth influence, which helps to alleviate any potential sugar shock. Saturdays = Youth is a precious gift from a secret admirer, wrapped in ambience and sealed with a blood-red kiss. --Kathleen C. Fennessy