Air - Pocker Symphony (2007)
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
I know its only March but the new Air cd Pocket Symphony is the best release of the year. On the 1st listen its easy to say that Air is going back to the basics and drawing from their debut but its more complicated than that. Yes there is the soundtrack style that blends moody beats with layered keyboards and sexy voices but there is more. Pocket Symphony is more organic, you can hear non electronic instruments blend in and take the lead. You also have a bit of the orient in the songs, subtle arrangements and instruments that make you feel like you are relaxing on the other side of the world.
The cd opens with “Space Maker” a beautiful track that rivals most songs from Moon Safari. The acoustic guitar strums along and is accompanied by a piano all wrapped in a lush and warm layer of keyboards. You have a mix of vocals on this record, both female and male are present and a few big names are Jarvis Cocker (Pulp) and Neil Hannon (Divine Comedy). The 1st time I listened to the Jarvis song I was a bit disappointed since it was very slow and subtle but I have grown to love it. The song teeters between a Pulp b-side and an Air song with both adding their own strengths. Track 4 “Napalm Love” is one of the best tracks on the cd, the combination of female vocals, hypnotic electronic beats and tweaked Asian sound rivals “Sexy Boy”. At times the cd drifts from dark melodies to almost childlike lullabies but never becomes boring. You can tell every sound has been handcrafted and assembled in such a way that even though it is mellow its still alluring. Air didn’t write another Moon Safari and I don’t expect them to. They wrote an amazing record that carrys on the tradition of soundtrack electronic great for background music and even better on an ipod.
Rating 9/10
Posted by mardenhill 3/07/2007 10:49:00 AM
Labels: Music
