Air, Pocket Symphony. Review
Mikey 4 comments
If you were part of the Air Listening Party tonight (Thursday, 15th Feb 2007) then you are probably in as much awe as I was.
It's been a few years since Talkie Walkie, but the wait has been worth it. Pocket Symphony is testament to just how mature the dynamic french duo have become. Produced again by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Neil Finn, U2, REM) Pocket Symphony is Air's fourth studio album.
Talkie Walkie did a lot to restore faith in Air, as the previous album (10,000mhz legend) was, putting it nicely, very strange indeed. So like a lot of other people I had high expectations for Pocket Symphony.
I will just come out and say it: Pocket Symphony is elegant and beautiful. Every one of the tracks has something about it that just makes you nod approvingly. Stylish acoustic licks and melodic piano loops adorn what is easily Air's second best album to date, following closely behind their debut 'Moon Safari'.
Once again Dunkel provides effeminate sounding vocals as he did on Talkie Walkie, but this time the microphone is shared with guest vocalists Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hammond.
If you want a change of pace and you don't mind mellow, you can do a lot worse than listen to Pocket Symphony.
Links:
- Official Pocket Symphony web site (with audio samples from every track)
- Download Pocket Symphony from iTunes
Airhead
Saturday 17th March 2007 | 06:26 AMSorry, I can't agree on your review. I'm a big Air fan, and the new record is entirely unoriginal (not that Air is really that original anyways) and positively snooze-inducing. Mellow is one thing, but I've found this almost unlistenable. I even like the Charlotte Gainsbourg record (all music by Air) better than this. I've given it a few listens, and I'm going to be more inclined to put on any other release than this again... order of preference: Talkie Walkie, Virgin Suicides, 10000mhz,
Jonson
Friday 23rd March 2007 | 06:55 PMGood music. Not the best air but worth the money. It takes a lot to dethrown the mighty moon safari
Alex Boyle
Monday 28th January 2008 | 12:46 AMComment on Air's Moon Safari:
It's funny and remarkable, in the true sense of the word, how those reviewers (not just publiscised, but almost anyone reviewing Air) always look to Moon Safari as a point of reference. Yes, Moon Safari is the most approachable of all albums and anyone getting into Air will use this as their passport to mellow licks, beautiful piano melodies and rhythmical backing instrumentals....
10,000mhz is strange indeed, innovative and strange. A perfect follow up to a prefectly composed album, but with more of an edge.
Airman
Wednesday 14th March 2007 | 01:02 PMNot Air's best work but still a great album. I think the 10,000mhz was actually the better album and then followed by the Virgin Suicides soundtrack although the latter not technically an album.