Ten years after The Wedding Singer, 1980s nostalgia still has legs (and not just the kind that can be squeezed into skinny jeans). French electronic musician Anthony Gonzalez (a.k.a. M83) has paid homage to other bygone eras before: M83's 2003 breakthrough, Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, used synths to update the swirling guitars of the early 1990s U.K. shoegaze scene. This time around, he captures the emo intensity of John Hughes flicks with nods to the moody synth-pop of Tears for Fears, the ethereal dream-pop of Cocteau Twins and the new-romantic stadium rock of Simple Minds. Swollen synths drape a steady techno beat on first single "Couleurs," while second single "Graveyard Girl" goes straight for the heartstrings of anyone who identified with The Breakfast Club -- complete with a diary-like reading by guest vocalist Morgan Kibby. Throughout, hints of M83's past shoegaze bliss-outs mingle with cathartic New Wave and extended ambient instrumentals. Co-producers Ewan Pearson (an excellent techno musician in his own right) and Ken Thomas (Cocteau Twins) ensure the disc never sinks into kitsch or rote mimicry.

-- Marc Hogan