Moon Safari - Air > Reviews > The Sound Of Cut Grass

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it rate alongside the competition	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	Beautiful relaxing tracks .
Disadvantages:	Sometimes it's good to be tense .  Bring on The Clash !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Back in 1998, Air emerged to an indifferent world. Their previous singles had recieved critical acclaim, the journos loved them and they had built up a modest fan base on the strength of teaser singles released, many of which can be found on their issue 'Premier Symtomes'. They had however to make any commercial impact on the music industry. The reason - few people knew they existed. But that was soon to change with the release of 'Moon Safari'

To me this album sounds like summer. Long languid summers with the sun going down, the smell of cut grass, walking to the pub. These feelings I get even now as I listen to the album. You'll make your own associations of course, but I can guarantee you if you listen to it once, you'll listen to it a hundred times. So the standout tracks:

La Femme D'Argent

A long, simmering intro. Bongos, slow pacing keyboards. The tone for the album is excellently set in this track which owes more than a little to Jean Michelle Jarre. 8/10

Sexy Boy

Their first big hit, and consequently the song that everyone associated with Air. The vocodered vocals, singing softly in French, play against the contrasting grinding keyboards. The Overall feeling is one of a dream, a song which can relax without you even knowing you were tense in the first place. 9/10

Kelly Watch The Stars

Their second single, and consequently the song everyone knows but doesn't associate it to be Air. Simplistic vocodered vocals again, and an absolutely priceless bass line 8/10

Talisman

This song is one of the peaks of the album. It takes shape by starting with a very fine melody played on (of course) the keyboard, and over the course of the song builds and builds on top of that original melody - a kind of ambient Phil Spector track. Talisman is a song that I'm sure many people will know, as it is often the theme to many television programmes, usually sports events where we see the athelete resting before the big sprint. Which as it happens is exactly the track's use on Moon Safari 9/10

Le Voyage De Penelope

Yet another peak on the album, the last track is relentless in it's ability to relax. The instruments rise from nowhere, and the tone is somewhere between Pick Floyd, Kraftwerk and Massive Attack 10/10

Overall Moon Safari is THE Air album to own. It is the album on which they most shine (at least for now) and is also the most accessable of their albums, ever so much more than the equally impressive but dark Virgin Suicides.