MARC CHOQUETTE
Perspectives Editor
Great music can take people places. Imagine sitting in a chic Paris studio on a late night with contemporary furniture, ambient light and a skyline view of la Tour d’Eiffel.
This is where “Space Maker” takes the listener on the opening track of the French duo AIR’s new album, “Pocket Symphony.” Simple beginnings of light percussion, a 70’s funk bass line and acoustic guitars give way to a building of synthesizers, piano infusion and sonic flashes to boot.
The March 6 release will mark the sixth album for Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel, who will return to Southern California on Apr. 29 for the Coachella Festival, the first time the two have toured since their 2004 release “Talkie Walkie.”
Geography is an important element in AIR’s music. Far away from the music capitals of New York and Los Angeles, their chosen setting of Paris rubs off on AIR’s musical aura, with a romantic and uniquely French flavor in their compositions.
Their sound is difficult to classify since it crosses many musical boundaries: it is rhythmically ambient but melodically busy, spacious and atmospheric yet careful and focused, electronic yet instrumentally grounded.
The album’s title is indicative of its structure and direction. It is indeed a pocket-sized symphony: not over-composed or over-produced, the heavily instrumental tracks leave the instruments to lead the exploration through the sonic landscape.
This world progresses from the streets of Paris and the quiet grandeur of Versailles (“Once Upon a Time”) to the Far East (“Mer Du Japon”) and back in a flight even Peter Pan would appreciate. In an effort to return to experimentation with new instruments, Godin spent time in Okinawa learning to play such Japanese instruments as the koko and shamishen, blending their uniquely European songwriting with more Eastern elements.
Dunckel and Godin are keenly careful and calculated with where they take their music. Particular attention is paid to the structure and timing of their songs, coming in large part from the reason the two became friends at the Palace at Versailles in 1995— Godin studied architecture in the city while Dunckel studied mathematics; both subjects requiring mastery in precision.
The two loved writing music and the band formed soon after, with Godin proclaiming to Australia’s “The Age” that, “Seven years of architecture was enough.” Their first major release, 1998’s “Moon Safari,” immediately brought them to the forefront of the ambient/electronic genre, inspiring further experimentation by artists like Zero 7.
“Once Upon A Time,” the album’s first single, contains a jazzy rhythm beneath a classically hypnotic piano riff, creating a fairytale feel to the love song perfect for visual landscapes of the romanticized city that is Paris.
“Photograph” showcases the cinematic quality of their music. The smooth and mysterious string-laden intro takes the listener into an old black and white French film noir, with foggy city streets and trenchcoats.
While it can be argued the album progresses slowly at points and is too light on lyrics, these criticisms only enforce their admitted fancy for instrumentals.
Perfectly closing out of the album is the track “Night Sight,” which includes a layering of delicate progressions on the keys and eerie, ethereal strings wrapping around the riff, giving their intercontinental journey a sense of finality.
As with much of AIR’s more intimate instrumental explorations, the album should not be played at large gatherings. It is best to discover on an individual level. Its solitary feel isn’t so much depressing as it is nostalgic and beautiful. While more downbeat than earlier releases, “Pocket Symphony” is a new direction for AIR that emphasizes their greatest quality: the sonic landscape.
03-01-2007