If you think you're not familiar with Air, that might not be the case; if you've seen The Virgin Suicides or Lost in Translation, you've certainly heard their music. And that said, if there were one word that would describe what kind of music Air does within the elecronica realm (and also does best), 'cinematic' would nail it. The art of building layers of sound, tugging at different emotions and moods and conveying a sense of moving for the listener, all within often just one song is what Air is all about.
But is Pocket Symphony a must-have for folks not familiar with Air? Naw. Are there some tracks that folks not familiar with Air should seek out? Yes. For instance, the French duo showcase their best abilities right off the bat with the album opener "Space Maker." The track starts out as a minimal incidental score and ends with the listener's full attention on its quiet funk jam. A little later in the album comes "Mayfair Song," which is a little less elaborate but no less beautiful, with synthesizer notes falling like raindrops between piano chords and riffs. And in a more intense drive, "Mer du Japon" does the same about two-thirds into Pocket Symphony. And really, most of the cuts that are instrumentals are just plain nice and show no weakness in the group's compositional abilities.
But unfortunately, most of the tracks that are vocal tunes on this album are certainly the weakest on the record, in that structurally they feel dumbed-down and repetitive compared to the brilliant instrumentals. None of these songs are bad necessarily- just dull, which for the shoegazers, Air's vox explorations will be a treat. Take "One hell of a party," for instance. Jarvis Cocker, in his best quiet voice, conveys his amazement for a party that just was, all while Japanese Kotos are plucked sparingly and synths swim with discord around his head. And "Left Bank," with its eerie acoustic guitars and breathy vocals, sounds like a classic plucked from the Sebadoh songbook. But one vocal track that might almost fuse vocals and what Air does best is "Somewhere between waking and sleeping," which, in sliding in and out of emotion-triggering bridges and verses, is just plain sweet melancholia at its best.
In the end, Pocket Symphony is another decent Air album full of gems peppered amongst promising tunes that could use a little more of the cinematic treatment.
