| Air - Pocket Symphony |
| Label: Astralwerks/EMI |
By: Patton
Mar 10 07 |
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This album is far from boring, yet the listener may need to be in a certain mood to take it fully in. The first few listens, one feels almost like they are listening to a movie soundtrack, which is often the feeling when first approaching an album by Air.
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Pocket Symphony is the fourth full length release by the French duo, Air. Air up to this point, has been a well-groomed and controlled group, but on this release they only keep the basic elements that make them sound so ephemeral and light. So far, it is the only album that Air has released that relies on the essence of the band. Air is known for being symphonic and orchestra sounding, but keeps the sound very simple. Pocket Symphony takes that concept of scaling back their arrangements to a minimal extreme. That is to say, the duo rarely does things to heat up beyond the structural core of repeating beats and rhythms, cascading acoustic guitars and pianos, gentle falling synthesizers and double-tracked, whispered vocals. Air does, however, use bits of an Eastern sound in the album, incorporating a koto (a Japanese thirteen-stringed instrument) and a shamisen (a Japanese two stringed instrument) throughout various tracks.
This album is far from boring, yet the listener may need to be in a certain mood to take it fully in. The first few listens, one feels almost like they are listening to a movie soundtrack, which is often the feeling when first approaching an album by Air.
Pocket Symphony isn’t going to stand out as the best of Air’s catalogue, but it is noticeable in relation to the others.
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Compared to their last album, Talkie Walkie (2004), the latest release sounds comatose. The album does have it’s upbeat moments, but most of these are overshadowed and drowned in the mellowness of the rest of the album. “Once Upon A Time” is the first single for the album, and even though it contains the pop sensibility that Air is known for, it still has a trance-like rhythm that can make one feel sleepy and the chorus hook can be stuck in the listener’s head for days. The album also features two well-known UK musicians, Jarvis Cocker (Pulp) and Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy). Jarvis’s performance is not that noticeable. He is featured on the track “One Hell of a Party” and has little vocal freedom, becoming barely noticeable. Neil Hannon’s vocals, on the other hand, are very noticeable on the track “Somewhere Between Walking and Sleeping.” It has a well-crafted melody and mood to it that shows Air’s classic sense of ballads. Pocket Symphony isn’t going to stand out as the best of Air’s catalogue, but it is noticeable in relation to the others.
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