Air
Moon Safari

THE REVIEW

The '90s are the musical decade I love the most, perhaps because my all-time favorite album was released in those years, in 1998 to be precise. It's "Moon Safari" by the French duo Air, composed of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. The reviews were positive, and the gay-friendly video on MTV piqued my curiosity, so at Porta Portese, I bought a used copy of the CD in excellent condition. The starry sky I saw lifting the CD from the case indicated what I found in the album: a journey among stars and comets in outer space, no classical seriousness though, but moderately "disco" rhythms, vocoder, moog, and mellotron, a "vintage" sound decor that was undoubtedly well anchored to the present, and at that time, I hoped, also to the future, but then no other album by this group pleased me. "La Femme d'argent" which opens the album is almost a mini sci-fi soundtrack, then the single "Sexy Boy," enticing yet charming, and the beautiful and rhythmic "Kelly Watch the Stars" dedicated to one of Charlie's Angels. A couple of tracks are suavely sung by Beth Hirsch: "All I Need" and "You make it Easy," and then the introspective and romantic "Ce Matin La" and "New star in the Sky" up to the masterpiece that closes the album: a poignant and breathtaking "Le voyage de Penelope" to listen to at full blast to take off towards the safari on the Moon.