m83, the stage name for french musician anthony gonzalez subscribes to the shoegaze music genre.  because of the soft lyrics and significant use of guitar effects and reverb, shoegazer's typically stare at their foot pedals while on stage, hence the name "shoegazing".  the style was most popular from the late 1980's to the mid 1990's.

saturday = youth, m83's fifth l.p. was released april 15, 2008.  "the album is said to deliver the rich sonic textures for which m83 is well known, but with a more focused approach to song structure and form."

kathleen c fennessy wrote that the band "conjures up the 1980's 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 fact, on his myspace page, anthony lists hughes (and brian eno) as an influence.

click here, here and here for in studio sets/interviews from kcrw's morning becomes eclectic from may 3, 2005, may 29, 008, and march 06, 2009 respectively.  click here for m83's videos.  don't forget, the album cover image always links to sample songs and the band's image to their website.

m83 has a few dates scheduled.  click here to find out if he is playing near you.

as always, please buy this album from your local independent music store by people who know and love music and not from retailers like wal-mart (soulless, globally-homogenizing, community-killers) or i-tunes (albums should be listened to as an entire composition with album cover and liner notes in hand).  incidentally, these two companies sell more music than any other retailer in the united states.  that my friend, bites.