Not rare, just good.

I'm posting this not because you've never heard of Air, but probably because if you're like me your interest was at a point where unless someone told you to give it a listen, you probably wouldn't. So here is your notification.

I'm a sucker for almost all things French when it comes to music, as you'll find out if you keep reading. 10 years ago Air's Moon Safari came out and grabbed me hook line and sinker. I enjoyed some of the ambient/"chill" stuff that was coming out. Living in DC at the time we were flush with the 18th St Lounge Music but too often it was boring and way too clean, too digital (I hesitate to say electronic because there are few things I love more than some straight Synth stuff). Moon Safari was more organic, more natural. And, it drew from the past without sounding "retro".

They continued to release albums, some better than others. Some held me for repeated listenings for a while, others seemed like dull exercises in knob twiddling, but I still remained interested.

Now they have a new album out and it feels good. Love 2, is a return to form though not a rehash of the old sound. It sounds like they've taken what they've learned from their exercises in electronics and combined it with a decades worth of experience and further learning. So for you I'll cheat... here's the best song off the album. Called Tropical Disease it sounds like it could be the Theme song for the movie "Emmanuelle in Space", a movie that doesn't exist, though I'm sorely tempted to make it now that I've thought of it. EDIT: um.. apparently there is a whole series of "Emmanuelle in Space"... go figure. That said, I doubt it swings with the proper vibe this would bring. Yeah... Looks like I'm right.

Air: Tropical Disease

While no Moon Safari, the rest of the album is quite good as well.

-GD