This is the fourth and final post in my "WTF?" posts for the weekend...
I must apologize for the late post tonight. My wife has been out of work, and life around our house has been stressful, to be expected. So, tonight I cooked supper for the family. I usually do, but tonight I made it extra special with a fine set table and restaurant quality Italian food. Then, we cleaned up the kitchen, and all four of us came into the family room and watched Forrest Gump. My wife and I knew that our 15-year-old was mature enough and would watch it, especially because he hadn't seen it before. But, we were unsure about the 5-year-old. Surprisingly, though, he sat and watched the entire movie without interruption, and even had some insightful commentary to go along. Needless to say, we were pleasantly surprised. BUT, there were two bedroom scenes (which we fast-forwarded through), two F-Bombs, 4 or 5 shits and asses, and so many GDs, we couldn't keep track. But, if we didn't draw attention to it, he didn't even notice. He probably didn't even know what they were saying or what it meant. Anyway, we all set through the entire film and really enjoyed it. I haven't seen the movie in so long, it was nice to watch it again, and it really lifted our spirits. We then sat around the kitchen drinking juice and having cookies for bedtime snack, and now they are all off to bed. Families are wonderful....
ANYWAY - On to tonight's post....
To be honest, I really shouldn't call this a "WTF?" post, as there's nothing odd or different about it compared to the other three. Honestly, looking back, the other three weren't that bad anyway. I now would probably classify this in my "pleasantly surprised" category instead.
I first heard Kim & Jenny from this album on a NME Sampler disc that I got from Barnes & Nobles one time. I occasionally, in the past, liked to sample the discs that came with those magazines, before I discovered Blogspot searches, Pandora, and the other various sources that I now frequent to try out new stuff. I almost instantly fell in love with the song.
It's funny to discover bands that you think must be new, only to find out that you're only discovering them on their 3rd or 4th albums. You suddenly start to realize that you aren't quite as hip and pioneering as you thought you were, joining the crowd so late in the game. Regardless, I wasn't going to let that change my mind.
So, after acquiring M83's Saturday = Youth album, I listened and seemed to find myself lost in an album that felt like I was being held in 1985 once again. But, although it sounds "retro", if that's what you want to call it, I don't know why it does. There's really nothing about the instrumentation that would make me think that, the melodies don't seem dated, and vocally the whispery breathy sighs that they used weren't commonly used in the 80s, either. They might MIGHT be reminiscent of MAYBE Dream Academy, but that's about the best comparison that I can come up with. My only assumption is that it must be the lyrics that compel me to think it's an 80s thing. I don't know. If any of you reading this have a theory or opinion about it, please comment below, so we can compare notes and pinpoint this feeling.... It'll drive me nuts until I can say "So, THAT'S why it reminds me of the 80s!"
Although all of the songs are performed with delicacy and grace, the album opens powerfully and strong, and doesn't peter out at all. It stays solid right through to the last song. It's really impressive. I can listen to the first 5 or 6 tracks without even skipping a beat, and finishing the album out is never a task, like a lot of albums of this Indie genre tend to be.
The second disc is obviously the remix disc, and it adds an Indie Electro element to the mix. To me, it harkens back to pre-House/Techno remixes of the 80s, but with definite 2010s overtones. We even get a touch of Dubstep in there, and it works great without overdoing it. Unfortunately, I didn't get all of the mixes on the disc, as there wasn't enough to split the mixes into 2 discs. Plus, all of the mixes I left out are the less favorite mixes of We Own the Sky. I mean, how many mixes of that same song do we need, anyway? Plus, I wanted to get the M83 mixes of the Maps, Fires Of Rome and Midnight Juggernauts' songs on there as well. Their mixes of other artists songs really capture the essence of those songs and leave a definitive imprint of their own style as well.
So, enjoy these albums, and please let me know your opinion as to why these sound 80s, but don't. I'd really like to know!