Music Banter - View Single Post - Bitesize: Trollheart's Daily Album Mini-Reviews

Trollheart · 03-30-2013, 02:14 PM

Air pocket the prize

Artiste: Air
Nationality: French
Album: Pocket symphony
Year: 2007
Label: Virgin
Genre: Electronica
Tracks:
Space maker
Once upon a time
Hell of a party
Napalm love
Mayfair song
Left Bank
Photograph
Mer de Japon
Lost message
Somewhere between waking and sleeping
Redhead girl
Night sigh
Chronological position: Fifth album
Familiarity: "The virgin suicides", "Moon safari"
Interesting factoid:
Initial impression: Pretty much what I expected, though the vocals threw me.
Best track(s): One hell of a party, Mayfair Song, Left bank, Somewhere between waking and sleeping, Lost message, Night sight
Worst track(s): Napalm love, Photograph
Comments: Air were the first band I got into outside of Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre and the like in terms of electronic music. I've never been that interested in electronica/ambient music, but thanks to Air I've since moved on to Carbon Based Lifeforms and, er, that's it for now, but I intend to seek out some similar bands. Problem is that electronica is such a loose genre and is one with a wide-ranging (and wildly different) sets of bands in it. I don't like trance, dubstep or some other forms of electronic music, but CBL have suited me fine.

This is the third Air album I've listened to, and I'm a little surprised to hear vocals on the second track, though I know Air are known mostly but not completely as an instrumental act. Jean-Benoit Dunckel is the singer, one half of the band, whereas on the next track it's a guest vocalist, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker who takes One hell of a party. He puts in a powerful, bleak performance on a song whose execution completely belies its title. It's stark, empty and morose, and is also written by him, while Napalm love, with Dunckel back on vocals, is very eighties new-wave in feel and style, another slow song.

There are, it would seem, more vocal tracks on this album than instrumental, and in that it differs from the previous Air albums I've heard. I'm not sure about Jean-Benoit Dunckel's voice: sounds very feminine to me, not that that's a bad thing, but I do prefer the purely instrumental ones like Mayfair song with its rapidly-descending piano line and echoey drums and pads, and Lost message. I'm delighted to hear my old friend Neil Hannon also guesting on vocals on Somewhere between waking and sleeping, which has a beautiful orchestral setting.

There's a nice mix on this album, from slow ambient to mid-paced electronica, instrumental passages and vocal passages, and a few guest vocalists that really makes it quite a varied album. It wouldn't to be honest be the worst place to begin your exploration of this band, should you be so inclined.
Overall impression: Another great album, expanding on what I already know about Air and making me like them even more.
Intention: I like Air: I'll be listening to more of their albums, and they've become a gateway to finding other electronic/ambient bands.

03-30-2013, 02:14 PM	#148 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Air pocket the prize Artiste: Air Nationality: French Album: Pocket symphony Year: 2007 Label: Virgin Genre: Electronica Tracks: Space maker Once upon a time Hell of a party Napalm love Mayfair song Left Bank Photograph Mer de Japon Lost message Somewhere between waking and sleeping Redhead girl Night sigh Chronological position: Fifth album Familiarity: "The virgin suicides", "Moon safari" Interesting factoid: Initial impression: Pretty much what I expected, though the vocals threw me. Best track(s): One hell of a party, Mayfair Song, Left bank, Somewhere between waking and sleeping, Lost message, Night sight Worst track(s): Napalm love, Photograph Comments: Air were the first band I got into outside of Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre and the like in terms of electronic music. I've never been that interested in electronica/ambient music, but thanks to Air I've since moved on to Carbon Based Lifeforms and, er, that's it for now, but I intend to seek out some similar bands. Problem is that electronica is such a loose genre and is one with a wide-ranging (and wildly different) sets of bands in it. I don't like trance, dubstep or some other forms of electronic music, but CBL have suited me fine. This is the third Air album I've listened to, and I'm a little surprised to hear vocals on the second track, though I know Air are known mostly but not completely as an instrumental act. Jean-Benoit Dunckel is the singer, one half of the band, whereas on the next track it's a guest vocalist, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker who takes One hell of a party. He puts in a powerful, bleak performance on a song whose execution completely belies its title. It's stark, empty and morose, and is also written by him, while Napalm love, with Dunckel back on vocals, is very eighties new-wave in feel and style, another slow song. There are, it would seem, more vocal tracks on this album than instrumental, and in that it differs from the previous Air albums I've heard. I'm not sure about Jean-Benoit Dunckel's voice: sounds very feminine to me, not that that's a bad thing, but I do prefer the purely instrumental ones like Mayfair song with its rapidly-descending piano line and echoey drums and pads, and Lost message. I'm delighted to hear my old friend Neil Hannon also guesting on vocals on Somewhere between waking and sleeping, which has a beautiful orchestral setting. There's a nice mix on this album, from slow ambient to mid-paced electronica, instrumental passages and vocal passages, and a few guest vocalists that really makes it quite a varied album. It wouldn't to be honest be the worst place to begin your exploration of this band, should you be so inclined. Overall impression: Another great album, expanding on what I already know about Air and making me like them even more. Intention: I like Air: I'll be listening to more of their albums, and they've become a gateway to finding other electronic/ambient bands. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 01-13-2015 at 01:33 PM.