CD Review

Oversaturation awaits piece

of pop perfection

By Damian Kilroy

Six years ago, Air put French music back on the musical map with its debut album “Moon Safari.” The album spawned a number of imitators such as Zero 7 and Kinobe, and gave birth to the ironic ‘chill-out’ craze.

You may or may not be familiar with the song titles “Ce Matin La,” “La Femme D’argent” and “Kelly Watch the Stars,” but their melodies are instantly recognizable from any number of adverts, movie soundtracks and TV themes. Ever since its release, television and movie producers alike have used the blissful electro-pop of “Moon Safari” as a tool to accentuate different moods within their films.

As a result, these elegantly crafted songs have been somewhat polluted, now serving as a reminder of adverts and films they have accompanied, rather than conjuring up images of floating in space or drifting over luscious landscapes in a hot air balloon. It seems Air realize this and, after the lackluster follow up “10,000 Hz Legend,” have given us a fresh installment of picturesque pop perfection.

The swirling synths, dark piano chords and delicate vocals on “Cherry Blossom Girl” and “Universal Traveler” are a welcome return to “Moon Safari territory,” albeit with a slightly devilish undertone. This can be accredited to the influence of producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead) whose tendencies for the dark and depressing brilliantly contrast the ambient sounds of the French duo.

“ Surfing On A Rocket” is an addictive if somewhat repetitive song that for good or bad will be ringing in your head for weeks after just one listen, while “Alpha Beta Gaga” is quite simply one of the most beautiful compositions you will hear this year. Its joyful whistled chorus coupled with pizzicato strings and set against a wall of noise is sure to have TV producers rushing frantically to their phones.

Close your eyes and “Talkie Walkie” puts you on a Mediterranean roof terrace sipping San Gria and watching the sun go down while a beautiful senorita services your every need. However, the only problem in producing such a stunning atmospheric piece of work is that it will only be a matter of time before “Talkie Walkie” becomes a soundtrack for cheesy Hollywood moments.