air

Air Vol. 2: Flying Machine
$12.99
Ladies and gentlemen, there's been a change in our flight plan. You may have heard of a group called the Etesian Front -- vigilantes dedicated to taking the skies back from terrorism. Sounds like a noble cause, right? But there's more to them than meets the eye. They're after someone I know. Someone who is either an average frequent flier -- or a terrorist. And he's got a secret. Something that will change the way we fly -- and the way we see technology -- forever.

To find him, we've altered course. We're en route to a country that doesn't exist on any maps. Only one person knows how to get us there: me. My name is Blythe, and I'll be your stewardess today. So buckle your seatbelts -- this will be the flight of your life.

In this second volume, Blythe's mysterious rescuer reveals the truth behind one of the most shocking disappearances in aviation history - a secret tied to the origin of hyperprax flight. As the race to find the device begins, Blythe must master her skills as a hyperpract. But her fear of heights may get the better of her. Blythe has traveled through a country that doesn't exist to a dimension of lost things to search for the stranger she's fallen in love with -- a man who may or may not be a terrorist. Now, they will
be reunited in the strangest way possible: Trapped in 10-year-old Zayn's body, Blythe will relive his life. The things she'll learn will shock her, and perhaps forever alter her course...

Pocket Symphony
$17.98
This album has a different sound from their seminal Moon Safari. It has a darker, more brooding sound and a bassy production that makes use of more exotic instruments. It flows very well from start to finish, and the cohesive production creates an otherworldly feel that transports the listener into the world of Air. They have a knack for accentuating music with simple, yet evocative riffs and themes from a variety of soft instruments that move without jolting.

This is more for chill enthusiasts though. People expecting anything else might be disappointed because the music is that different. Where Moon Safari has a melancholy, uplifting sound throughout, this entry alternates between menacing, driving and brooding. A great listen though and it gets better and better with more listens.

I prefer the second half of the album. Starting with Left Bank, the music becomes deeper and more engaging. It's not that the first half is bad, the 2nd half just draws me in more. Highlights:

Space Maker
Left Bank
Mer Du Japon
Lost Message
Somewhere Between Waking And Sleeping

Highly Recommended

Moon Safari
$7.99
Great CD, although I was a little disappointed to find that Disk 1 had some scratches on it!!

Love 2
$16.98
Having been a fan since Moon Safari and its nearly perfect songs, I moved on to Talkie Walkie, a very good complement to above CD. Premiers Symptomes, especially the opening tracks Modular Mix and Casanova 70 is such a mellow groove, psychedelia and slow jazz saxophone mixed into such a nice blend. I was disappointed with Pocket Symphony, not really taken by the change in direction, although the final track Night Sight is vintage Air bliss. With the release of this CD, Love 2, I was very pleased by the return of Air to its soothing, experimental, joyous and mellow selection of fine tunes. I found the tracks Be a Bee, Heaven's Light, and You Can Tell it to Everybody to be my personal favorites, and the song So Light is Her Footfall could easily have been a ballad from the 1960s. Vive La France!