Air
Pocket Symphony

THE REVIEW

There is always an ultimate design behind any work that a musician produces.

Even the most unfortunate (for example, Justin Timberlake to name one or Avril Lavigne to make the pair) when they make an album, put something of their own into it, maybe not their soul but a small or large surrogate of it, which can be liked or not.
That's another story.
And so do our Italians, the various Ricchi e Poveri, DolceNegre or Cristiani Malgioglio (but I don't even know if these still make records) when they start making a record, I SUPPOSE they have a vague idea in mind, right?! If nothing else, to tell the producer what they intend to do.
Ohh well, instead let's take this disc of a completely different genre that I bought 7 days ago from my trustworthy CD-Pusher: Pocket Symphony by AIR.
Now, after the first 15 minutes of prologue/gentle and drawn-out ambient like few others, I asked myself Wow, well, now they're going to start... and one, two, three... nothing... and now they'll wait for the next round... here it comes, ONE TWO THREE... but NOTHING... basically, an atmosphere from the mundane and pretentious Bassa Padana ... and so, for another good 35 minutes!
No point of interest, no interesting idea, no particular chords, not even a damn seductive or intriguing hypnotic loop, those that made Great the likes of Herbert, Eno, To Coco Rococo, PanAmerican, Amon Tobin, or others of the ambient/electronic/dance stream.
N O T H I N G.
Banal music.
These two frozen French penguins (rightly immortalized as such, like two ice figures without a reason, on the cover), leveraged some fun and at times interesting productions (see the excellent debut of Moon Safari from 1998 or the penultimate Talkie Walkie from 2004) have come out with a little album that makes you regret the worst of Jean Michelle Jarre or even the nonsense of the deceased Rockets (yes exactly, those who died of cancer from too much silver paint inhaled and perspired!!)
Here there is room only for three chords when things go well (not even a minor or sharp chord, just to be clear) for 4 - 5 minutes per “song” each… something that you don't know:
a) if it makes sense (as Blasco pontificates)
b) why such a sloppy job
c) if they have definitively prostituted themselves to the most base market (like New Essence at the newsstand + the AIR CD for relaxation)
d) if they did it with the left hand just due to contractual obligation.

Without a doubt, I opt for solution (d), the only one that can make sense, and I refrain from the idea of formulating a judgment on this careless and sickly-sweet little disc like few others where you can't even see a tiny little seed of an idea not even for money.
Ok AIR, you joked and I took the bait like a fool. I admit it, and for a moment I almost believed it :-)))

Indeed, for a joke, it was well concocted but that's enough now, come on... get back to serious stuff.
Pretend I NEVER wrote a review of this bullshit of a record... there you have it, I'll condone this one for the sake of sympathy!
But I'll be waiting for you with the next job.
And pray to God that it's as crap as this one so I come all the way to Paris house by house and hunt you down with my own hands.
It will take me 4 months but damn: I will find you...uhhuuuuuu if I find you!!!!