Ever since Moon Safari was hailed as an instant classic, Air have swung back and forth between the experimental and accessible sides that Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel united so perfectly on their debut. 10,000 Hz Legend might have been too grandiose and aggressively experimental for some Air fans, but Talkie Walkie sometimes felt as if the duo was presenting the most widely palatable version of their music possible. On Pocket Symphony, Dunckel and Godin find a balance between pretty and inventive that they haven't struck since, well, Moon Safari, even though it isn't nearly as immediate -- even by Air's standards, this is an extremely introspective and atmospheric album. It's beyond clichéd to call the duo's music filmic; nevertheless, "Space Maker" and "Night Sight" play like the album's opening titles and ending credits, bracketing a set of songs that are sadder and wiser than anything Air has done since The Virgin Suicides (particularly "Lost Message," which could have easily appeared on that soundtrack). Made around the same time Dunckel and Godin were working with Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon (who also appear here) on Charlotte Gainsbourg's 5:55 and Dunckel was recording his solo project Darkel, Pocket Symphony could be seen as part of a loose trilogy; if so, it's more in line with 5:55's moody romanticism than Darkel's hyper-pop (where, apparently, any lighter-hearted tracks along the lines of Talkie Walkie's "Alpha Beta Gaga" or "Surfing on a Rocket" ended up).
However, Pocket Symphony doesn't feel as serenely untouchable as some of Air's previous work, and these darker cracks and wrinkles give it character. These songs are often unsettling, but gently so, like dreams that are still vivid but hard to explain upon waking. The Neil Hannon-sung "Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping" is the most obvious example of Pocket Symphony's fever dream atmosphere, but there are plenty of others: "Photograph," a quintessentially sensuous Air track, gives the impression of something a little sinister occurring just out of frame; "Redhead Girl" is a lush meditation on unrequited love so paralyzing that time itself stops. The entire album deals with toxic love and its fallout, but Dunckel and Godin alternate between romanticizing heartbreak and showing just how dreary it can be -- although, skilled mood-makers that they are, they manage to make dreary sound pretty romantic, too. The deceptively delicate single "Once Upon a Time" darkens its fairy tale imagery with the fact that once upon a time might be never, while the outstanding "One Hell of a Party," which features Jarvis Cocker on vocals, presents a breakup as a hangover (a sentiment Cocker also explored brilliantly on Pulp's This Is Hardcore).
Pocket Symphony pairs Air with producer Nigel Godrich, which is an inspired choice -- not just because Godrich has a similarly atmospheric touch and adds lots of fascinating sonic details, but because he helps Air keep the album intimate, not polished into a state of distant perfection. "Left Bank," which blends humming with a cello and captures Godin's acoustic guitar so clearly it sounds like he's strumming it behind you, is a gorgeous example of how well this collaboration works. The Japanese influence on Talkie Walkie and Air's music for Lost in Translation is deepened on Pocket Symphony, with shamisen and koto (which Godin spent a year learning to play) adding to its ethereal beauty, particularly on "Mer du Japon." Musically and thematically, this is some of Air's most elegant, mature music; it does what it does so compellingly that any attempts to be "poppy" would miss the point.
Air - Pocket SymphonyIt starts out gorgeous from the beginning. 'space maker' is a beautiful track with the head of moon safar and the polish of talkie walkie. then wave your tearful goodbyes because the rest is a big departure for them. not the brain melting, weirdly thrilling freakout that was 10,000 hz legend, they're very much in control. But Air have made an album that demands to be warmed...
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Video here:http://www.culturebully.com/archives/2967More info and music samples at these two websites:http://www.pocket-symphony.com/http://www.myspace.com/intairnetDaily OM Review below:June 7, 2007Pocket SymphonyAir2007"The French composer-production team known as Air-Nicolas Godin and J-B Dunckel-created a lounge-music sensation back in 1998 with their debut album Moon Safari, a collection o...
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Did anyone log onto the online listening party yesterday? The new album sounds good; I can't wait to have it in my hands. Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon also do some guest vocals.
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My band Judy in the Bedroom have announced our first ever gig! wooo! its in camden london on 31st march. our album should be finished then, and as were going about this whole music thing in a strange way it means that we wont have actually played live officially before recording our album. come along, itll be fun.
More >
French duo Air have teamed up with Jarvis Cocker and The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon on their new album ‘Pocket Symphony’ which is expected to hit the shelves next Spring.The 12-track work has been produced by former Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich and also boasts Asian classical instruments on several tracks.This is the second time within a year that Air, Jarvis, Neil Hannon and Nigel
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--- - |- On the cusp of summer and my full-time employment, I impart to you, my faithful readers this creation of mine, the dance mix antidote. But wait? Don't I largely support dance music? Yes, but dance music is largely loud energetic and entices you to move. Which are all great things that I will continue to revel in at almost every opportunity, but you know what? Sometimes I get tired. I ...
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In honor of their upcoming show in NYC for the High Line Festival.Thanks to David Bowie....More >
Video here:http://www.culturebully.com/archives/2967More info and music samples at these two websites:http://www.pocket-symphony.com/http://www.myspace.com/intairnetDaily OM Review below:June 7, 2007Pocket SymphonyAir2007"The French composer-production team known as Air-Nicolas Godin and J-B Dunckel-created a lounge-music sensation back in 1998 with their debut album Moon Safari, a collection o...
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I'm just sitting here at my computer listening to music and watching my music collection mogify while my boyfriend alternates between doing homework and playing video games. At first all I wanted to listen to was Guns N' Roses, but then I switch to Air. So for this is the song I like best this evening.
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I'm off on a business/scouting trip tomorrow - everyone think positive real estate thoughts for me...In the meantime please enjoy my current musical obsession....
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Here's a track off the latest Air album, Pocket Symphony, titled "Once Upon A Time." For your listening pleasure.
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...it was unintentional. I haven't felt particularly compelled to write about music lately. That doesn't mean I haven't been enjoying music. Quite the contrary, in fact.One interesting side effect of having my Creative Zen is the urge to listen to albums I haven't listened to in a while. One day, I wanted to listen to The Avalanches' Since I Left You. So, I ripped it to MP3s (even though t...
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French duo Air have teamed up with Jarvis Cocker and The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon on their new album ‘Pocket Symphony’ which is expected to hit the shelves next Spring.The 12-track work has been produced by former Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich and also boasts Asian classical instruments on several tracks.This is the second time within a year that Air, Jarvis, Neil Hannon and Nigel
More >
My band Judy in the Bedroom have announced our first ever gig! wooo! its in camden london on 31st march. our album should be finished then, and as were going about this whole music thing in a strange way it means that we wont have actually played live officially before recording our album. come along, itll be fun.
More >
Air - Pocket SymphonyIt starts out gorgeous from the beginning. 'space maker' is a beautiful track with the head of moon safar and the polish of talkie walkie. then wave your tearful goodbyes because the rest is a big departure for them. not the brain melting, weirdly thrilling freakout that was 10,000 hz legend, they're very much in control. But Air have made an album that demands to be warmed...
More >
Did anyone log onto the online listening party yesterday? The new album sounds good; I can't wait to have it in my hands. Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon also do some guest vocals.
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Space Maker |
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| 2 Once Upon A Time |
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| 3 One Hell Of A Party |
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| 4 Napalm Love |
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| 5 Mayfair Song |
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| 6 Left Bank |
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| 7 Photograph |
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| 8 Mer Du Japon |
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| 9 Lost Message |
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| 10 Somewhere Between Waking And Sleeping |
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| 11 Redhead Girl |
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| 12 Night Sight |
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| 13 The Duelist |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Pocket Symphony")
