Artist: Air
Label: Virgin Records
Release: 2007
French duo Air, made up of Nicolas Godin and JB Dunckel, is back with a new album, Pocket Symphony. The record brings twelve fresh tracks that carry on the traditionally quiet, atmospheric music we’ve come to expect from them. But Nicolas and JB aren’t retreading old ground. No, they’ve definitely taken a somewhat different path, though still well within their recognizable world, and if any resemblance to past work does creep in, Pocket Symphony is, in sound and mood, closest to the music they recorded for the film The Virgin Suicides, directed by Sofia Coppola, and released under that same title.
So don’t expect a Saturday-night album that gives you wings to fly until morning. For that, you’re better off waiting for the next release from another French duo, Daft Punk. Air have always offered wings for floating, pleasantly and aimlessly. After all, the magic of a journey is supposed to be in the journey itself, not in the weight of the burden that the destination represents.
Beyond the “usual” musical maneuvers Nicolas and JB get up to, the album also holds a few surprises. First is a guest spot from Jarvis Cocker, who lends his voice to “One Hell Of A Party” and lets us know that it was fun, whatever it was, but it’s over now and all that’s left is some rest, with the words “This was one hell of a party, nobody got to go to bed. But this morning-after’s killing me and I have to rest my head”. The second surprise comes in the form of another singing guest, Neil Hannon, who otherwise fronts The Divine Comedy, and here finds himself somewhere between waking and sleeping, in the track “Somewhere Between Waking And Sleeping”. The last surprise is the inclusion of two Japanese instruments, the koto and the shamishen, which the pair had already flirted with shyly on their previous album Talkie Walkie and on another film project they contributed a song to, Lost In Translation, also directed by Sofia Coppola.
Pocket Symphony won’t cause any tectonic shifts, but it’s a thoroughly satisfying and pleasant record for those “aimless” moments, when the wings are spread and carry us slowly but safely through time. And moments like that are usually in short supply.
Lineup
Nicolas Godin: Vocals, bass guitar, guitar, solina, synthesizer, piano, koto, shamishen, drums, tambourine, memory moog, wind chimes
JB Dunckel: Vocals, piano, synthesizer, vibraphone, glockenspiel, xylophone, arp percussion, rhodes
Guest musicians:
Joey Waronker: Drums and percussion
Magic Malik: Flute
Tony Allen: Drums
Jarvis Cocker: Vocals (track #3)
Neil Hannon: Vocals (track #10)
Joby Talbot: String arrangements (tracks #1 and #12)
David Richard Campbell: String arrangements (track #10)
Production
Nigel Godin and Air
Tracklist
01. Space Maker
02. Once Upon A Time
03. One Hell Of A Party
04. Napalm Love
05. Mayfair Song
06. Left Bank
07. Photograph
08. Mer Du Japon
09. Lost Message
10. Somewhere Between Walking And Sleeping
11. Redhead Girl
12. Night Sight
Dolžina albuma: 48:00
