100000000 Millovolt Battery
If you like soft but not lame rhythms, electric blue melancholy and the layered musical textures, I say you will like Air. Some of this French duo's melodies can be easily traced from their roots in the pre-existing body of music (see below). And some of their tunes are better than others to be sure. But they do have their own unique sound. The bottom line is Air is fun to listen to, however you may feel about yourself afterward.
Track 1 - no comment. I never comment on the first track.
Track 2 - extended version of Track 7 from Ok Computer. I actually like it, cheesy as it is. Perhaps I am softer than I once was.
Track 3 - forgot my opinion on this one.
Track 4 - sounds exactly like Beck singing here (including Prince-like squealing, end-of-track laughing and even some lines that have the same exact meter as some of the lines in, I think it was, Hot Wax). You'd almost swear it was Beck singing here. Also has a Fat Boy Slim-like piano/synth baseline.
Track 5 - I hope to God this is a tribute to The Doors because the music here is basically a remix of The End. Mother, I want to…….Re…….PACKAAAAAAGE you……….
Track 6 - Now this is the most original song (at least to me) I've heard on the album so far, even if it does sound like something that they might like a lot in Europe. I like the rhythm of the lyrics, but I think they did miss an opportunity to be tres avant garde and just have the whole song go 'La la la la laaaaa' and/or 'va va va va vaaaaa' which would have underscored some point about the meaninglessness of words and tributized Louis Armstrong too.
Tack 7 - Okay, now we have our tribute to King Crimson, which includes both front lyrics, scratchy screamy psycho lyrics (21st Century Schizoid Man). Thwak. Thwak. Gentle hum (that's from I Talk to the Wind). Thwak.
Track 8 - Reminds me of a time that was somewhere in between the end of the 80's and the beginning of the 90's.
Track 9 - now, this one is like a German Frank Zappa song, with its innuendo and oddity. Boing, zoing and even some watered-down Tocata and Fugue in D minor for good measure. I'm just wondering if I put together an album with snippets of snippets and various ideas from other musicians, could I call myself Water and be famous? Oh, and rich too? Oh, and even more important, talked about? Could I be talked about? Please?
Track 10 - more Prince?
Track 11 - this is like that epic, space travel Stereolab sound, but with a touch of British alt pop humming.
Track 12 - How can they expect me to review this track when there's no song? What's going on? Did I miss something here?
Moon SafariI never comment on the second album. But Moon Safari is not their second album. So I will say this. It's by far the better of the two mentioned here. Definitely buy Moon Safari. It's great. Really.