Me too, it's my uncle who made me discover this wonderful band. I met Nicolas and JB at the Moon Safari tour in Montreal, Quebec and my uncle was very impressed. I met Nicolas at the newspapers store near the venue while waiting for my uncle before the show. As we spoke both french, it was easy to talk, myself as a musician who collected the same kind of gear, we spoke a lot of machines, especially the Mellotron. Nicolas then said: who gonna like our next record, wich was the future Virgin Suicides soundtrack were they used the instrument a lot. I also spoke yo Brian Kehew, who was on that tour for with his Moog Cookbook partner Roger Manning. Brian is a well know Mellotrons collector. So very good memories of my younger years, I was 26 maybe at the time. Eternal love for that band!
Agree! Love Air heaps since beginning and mostly all albums are great and I think Love 2 is one of their best, after Moon Safari and 10.000 Htz Legend...
Moon Safari is obviously a classic but Talkie Walkie songs has been with me since I was like 12 years old so I just have to put that as number one, also its a flawless album to me.
I can probably say that they are my favourite electronic band of all time. That being said, as much as I love Moon Safari, as iconic as it is, on my list 10,000 Hz Legend is the indisputable NO.1. Moon Safari is perfect, amazing experience, I love it so much, but 10,000 Hz Legend is somehow able to be even more for me, something even deeper, that makes me being connected to it like to some untouchable piece of art. MS in a 9.7/10 in my book and 10,000 HzL is a 10/10. I understand that MS is more popular and known, but I feel about Air the same way I feel about the other French legend, Jarre. I understand the significance of Oxygene, I love the album, but I actually love Zoolook, Equinoxe and Metamorphoses even more. And I think it is an important topic. The other reason I would not put MS on my list as No1 simply because I feel like Air is more than just one album and I don't want people who never heard Air before to think that they just need to listen to MS and that's basically gives you the full Air experience. People should give chance to other albums from great artists other than their most popular album. Here is my Worst to best of Air albums: 9. Music for Museum 8. Pocket Symphony 7. The Virgin Suicides 6. Premiers Symptomes 5. Le Voyage dans la Lune 4. Love 2 3. Talkie Walkie 2. Moon Safari 1. 10,000 Hz Legend And yes, thanks for mentioning 5:55 too, I actually like to listen to is from time to time, maybe even more often than I listen to Pocket Symphony itself.
Great & entertaining video, thank you. AIR is one of the bands I'll always come back to since they first released "Premiers Symptomes" back in '97 (I'm old). I absolutely love the collaboration with Charlotte Gainsbourg (5:55), this one and "Pocket Symphony" are my favourite AIR projects. But I also love "Premiers Symptomes" and "Moon Safari". Great band, they have the best melodies and arrangements.
I love that you went through the same musical journey with Air as I did. But I'm a little bit older, so I got to hear most albums when they came out. Absolutely blew my mind and all albums are still etched into my brain.
Alright, here's my rankings. 9. The Virgin Suicides (7/10) While it's enjoyable, some tracks can be tiring and downright fustrating to listen to for me. 8. Music For Museum (8/10) A fantastic ambient album that i still come back everyday for the comforting vibe this project gives off. 7.Premier Symtomes (8.5/10) I see this EP as an "even more jazzy" Moon Safari, due to my preferences and the length of this EP, this album ranks lower. 6. Le Voyage Dans La Lune (8.75/10) I think this album is the album that made me the most emotional and tearjerking out of any album, ever. 5. Love 2 (9/10) I used to have a very negative oppinion about this album, it is until i relistened to Tropical Disease on full vollume, as you said it best, it's like a jazzy Don't Be Light. 4. Moon Safari (9/10) You might be surprise by the rankings but the scores doesn't lie, Moon Safari is still a one in a lifetime experience. 3. Talkie Walkie (9.5/10) This album feels like an apology from Air after what they did to us with 10 000 Hz Legend, bringing back the calming vibes of Moon Safari yet still keep some of the experimentation from 10 000 Hz Legend. 2. Pocket Symphony (9.75/10) This used to be my favorite Air album of all time, until the you-know-what album shot it up my list. This album is thw definition of "peace" for me, although some tracks might not be fitting for that wording, i still got the same feelings as any other track on the album, it is my go to "calm album" and it will be, for a long time. 1. 10 000 Hz Legend (10/10) When i first heard of this album, i hated it, i think it was a horrible mish mash of electronics, guitar and orchestra. It was until i gave it one more chance, to say the least, the album jumped from a 2.5/10 to a perfect 10/10. And by now, it is the only album i ever gave a 10/10, nothing come close to Air's punch in your face with every single track complimenting eachother, every track in this album is perfection for me notging can even come close to the 12 tracks listing this album have. Here's my top 5 air songs just for amusement 5. Sex Born Poison. 4.Electronic Performers. 3.Biological. 2.Radian. 1.Don't Be Light / Once Upon a Time.
10,000hz Legend is such an overlooked gem and it definitely has some of Air’s best material, while I do enjoy Moon Safari a lot I do feel as though the darker and creepier atmosphere of 10,000hz Legend intrigues me more and for them to go in the total opposite direction for their follow up to Moon Safari I feel it was an incredibly gutsy and incredible move for them. It’s just a shame that it never really got the love it deserved and still remains somewhat overlooked in favour of Moon Safari and Walkie Talkie but for me songs like Radio #1, The Vagabond, Radian, People in the City and Don’t Be Light stand among Air’s best work and for an album from 2001 it’s aged remarkably well and the production is absolutely sublime. It sucks because I feel like this opinion is very much in the minority but I will always staunchly defend 10000hz and I still consider it the bands best work.
Also if anyone’s curious here’s my ranking 9. Music for Museum (I’ve never really had the urge to listen to this one much and I think I’ve only listened to it about maybe 3 times in total, I just found it a very boring and meandering listen personally and if I didn’t know it was by Air I would’ve just mistaken this as some other ambient outfits album, also 230 dollars for the vinyl, really?) 8. Love 2 (I definitely consider this to be Air’s weakest mainline studio album, nothing has really stuck with me the way songs on the other albums have with me, also the banal and basic lyrics really throw me off and songs such as Sing Sang Sung and Be A Bee come across as mildly irritating to me, that said Tropical Disease and So Light is Her Footfall more than make up for it but overall I’m pretty lukewarm towards this album, I just find it to be a bit all over the place) 7. The Virgin Suicides (I’ve never seen the film but my best friend references it to me a lot and keeps telling me that it’s a must watch even though personally it doesn’t remotely interest me however the soundtrack is pretty decent, the reason why I’ve ranked it so low is because I feel I really need to be in a certain mood to enjoy it and it’s very rare that I actually play it, it’s their biggest downer of an album in my opinion. Also I’m just not really a fan of soundtrack albums in general but as far as The Virgin Suicides OST, this one gets a pass. It’s a good soundtrack but I’ve got to be in a certain kind of mood to really enjoy it) 6. Le Voyage Dans La Lune (I think this is my favourite soundtrack album of theirs, I like the whole mood this album brings and I find it very soothing. It definitely does a good job and conveying the images and feelings of going on a journey to the moon) 5. Pocket Symphony (This album has admittedly shrunk on me due to personal overplay but at one point it was up in my top 3, it was one of the first Air albums I listened to way back in 2009 and for me I will always have a lot of nostalgia for it, the reason why it’s not higher up my list is because I do think it’s a fairly scattershot album as a whole and I only really tend to come back to certain tracks every once in a while now, these tracks are Once Upon a Time, One Hell of a Party, Mer Du Japon and Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping, also Napalm Love is okay too I guess. It’s kind of like how Wonky felt about Talkie Walkie, I’ve sort of fallen out with this album lately but I hope in time I’ll come back to it and enjoy it as a whole once more) 4. Walkie Talkie (The first album I listened to from Air and boy oh boy whenever I listen to this album it brings back serious memories. I still have a lot of love for Walkie Talkie and firmly place it as one of Air’s best albums and I think it does a really good job at combining the poppier and more easy listening side of Moon Safari (tracks like Mike Mills, Cherry Blossom Girl, Venus, Universal Traveller, Alone in Kyoto) and the much darker and less immediate side of 10000hz Legend (tracks such as Run, Another Day, Biological and Surfing on a Rocket come to mind). Personally I love this album a lot and I will always have a soft spot for it, I come back to it a lot during the spring as I associate a lot of the sounds with that time of year and while I do find tracks such as Run and Another Day to be the weak links of the album they do have their place on the album and to make up for it you have some of Airs best tracks on this album. Cherry Blossom Girl, Universal Traveller, Mike Mills, Surfing on a Rocket and the absolutely sublime Alone in Kyoto make this album a highly enjoyable listen, and also Alpha Beta Gaga has been permanently stuck in my head for nearly 15 years at this point and it definitely has one of the catchiest melodies I’ve ever heard. If you haven’t checked out Walkie Talkie yet, I would highly encourage you to do so) 3. Premiers Symptomes (Yes I know it’s an EP but my god what an EP it is, it comes close to reaching absolute perfection in my eyes. You can easily hear how a lot of the tracks would go on to influence Moon Safari. Even though it’s only 5 tracks long, the 1999 re-release has two bonus tracks in the form of Californie and Brakes On which make this EP almost reach album length. Personally I’m not the biggest fan of these bonus tracks as they take away from the original satisfying ending to the EP and don’t really add much to it as a whole, they feel kind of redundant and they kind of ruin the pacing a bit. As for the original EP, it’s pretty much damn near perfect. J’ai Dormi Sous L’eau and Le Soliel are some of the best songs Air have ever done. Even though it’s only an EP I do consider it having a very important place in Air’s history and I consider it to be among their best work) 2. Moon Safari (Obvious choice is obvious I know but Moon Safari is very much Air doing what they do best, pure mood music. As a whole album I feel that Moon Safari comes to a whole nearly almost exactly perfectly, I say almost, having Sexy Boy come right after La Femme D’argent always comes across as really jarring to me and borderline jump scares me at times but overall Moon Safari definitely deserves its reputation for being one of the best electronic/chill out albums of all time. It has this ability to instantly calm and soothe me and I will always love this album for reminding me of my last vacation in Spain, just listening to tracks like All I Need, Kelly Watch the Stars, You Make it Easy, Remember and La Voyage de Penelope all remind me of soaking in the Mediterranean sun shine, dozing off and relaxing without a care in the world. Whenever I feel down and anxious I always put on Moon Safari and it immediately cheers me up. I will always love this album and I consider it the perfect starting point for people trying to get into Air) 1. 10,000hz Legend (I made my thoughts pretty clear on this album in my original comment but for me this album is right up there with Moon Safari as being Air’s best work. While I love the hell out of Moon Safari, I find myself coming back to 10,000hz Legend a lot more these days, mainly during the winter months and I find as a whole 10,000hz is a much more rewarding listen. Yes, it’s a very dark and foreboding listen for the most part compared to Moon Safari and when I first listened to the album I was left utterly confused and bewildered but in recent years I’ve come to really admire this record and I now understand that the whole discomforting vibe is exactly what Air wanted to try to convey. They didn’t want to make a Moon Safari part 2, they wanted to follow it up with something completely different while also still keeping their sound somewhat. There are no bad tracks on this album, they’re all equally brilliant. I feel despite the naysayers and the lukewarm reception this album received on its original release in 2001, I still think this album is well worth checking out. Don’t expect it to hit you right away however, it requires a lot of listens to really get it but once it clicks with you, man is it a rewarding feeling)
I discovered Air through their Twentyears compilation, as such I've grown attached to all their big singles before their albums as a whole. I've since listened to and enjoyed Hz Legend, Safari and Premiers Symptômes, all of which I love. Some Air fans may not consider Twentyears to be a good entry point, but it worked wonders for me, keen to check out the rest of their discography now.
One of the first music videos I recall seeing on the internet several years before UA-cam was by Air (and it's a video I can't find anywhere on here). It was a flashy live performance of People on the City with fancy graphics and a cool synchronized light display. The video impressed me so much as a youngen and the song is so special. I wish I could find the video.
I mean, with AJR it's just The Click at the bottom and a nondescript mass of everything else they've ever done above that with OK Orchestra probably sitting at the top entirely by default via its nominal status as the *least* excruciating thing in their catalogue.
Ooo now this is a video I’ve been anticipating! It’s nice to hear you talk about Air once more. I actually got into them thanks to your discography review from back in the day. Here is my own ranking from least favorite to favorite as of writing this (excluding Premiers Symptômes because I consider that an EP/Comp. If I were to include that, it would be number 3 or 4). 9. City Reading - I can see why you excluded this. It's not terrible but it's clearly not meant for me as I don't speak or understand Italian. 8. Music for Museum - Decent ambient album but not really memorable. 7. The Virgin Suicides OST - Strong soundtrack with a few big highlights. It does fall short since it is a soundtrack and has the typical repeating melodies but it's still a very good OST. 6. Love 2 - Now we enter "great" territory. This one is underrated, like you said. There are several excellent tracks and quite a bit of variety too. Some of the tracks stand out more than others but nothing here is bad. 5. Pocket Symphony - This is one of my go-to albums when I'm feeling down and it's very effective. There are a few forgettable tracks but the highlights here are amazing and nothing on it is bad. I can see this album growing on me even more over time. 4. Le Voyage Dans La Lune - I know this is a weird one to have this high but something about this soundtrack really does it for me. It may be short but was is here is a blast (no pun intended). I have a few gripes with it but I still love it. 3. Talkie Walkie - Great all around. Each of the 10 tracks have something different to offer and some rank among their best. Alone in Kyoto is the best ending to any of their albums. 2. 10,000 Hz Legend - What a genius album. I'd even say this is a masterpiece. The only track I'm not crazy about is Wonder Milky Bitch but everything else is amazing. Special mention goes to "The Vagabond". That song was initially my least favorite on the album but now it's my favorite Air song period. 1. Moon Safari - Absolute classic from start to finish. Every single track is phenomenal. Relaxing, textured, beautiful. The top two are practically tied. I adore both of them for different reasons. Number 6 and 5 are very close enjoyment wise.
I lost sight of Air after the first 4 albums, although I regonise Pocket Symphonie and Premier Symptomes, but was very fond of their work. Moon Safari is still my goto album with All I Need having a special place in my heart. 10.000 Hertz was a really exiting and surprising follow-up with great ending of How does it make you feel always putting a smile on my face. Back then I liked Talkie Walkie the best being a moodier mix of the first 2, Cherry Blossom Girl and Alone in Kyoto being my highlights. If I am not mistaken the latter was especialy written for Sofia Coppola's 2nd film Lost in Translation after working with Air on her debut film the Virgin suicides. Another great ranking video 👍
I have only recently dived head first into their catalogue because despite me having heard of them for a while, I surprisingly haven’t got the chance to listen to their material up until probably around the end of 2022 or so. But wow, after going through all of their albums, they’re actually a really great electronic music duo. What I love about their music is how relaxing and heavenly a lot of their tracks sound to me, I could genuinely listen to them forever lol. Here’s my ranking so far (I only ranked their studio albums though): 1. 10,000 Hz Legend 2. Moon Safari 3. Pocket Symphony 4. Talkie Walkie 5. Love 2 6. Le Voyage Dans La Lune Honestly my ranking may be subject to change because a lot of these are pretty damn close to each other enjoyment-wise and even LVDLL is still pretty damn good to great. Hopefully I look more into their work beyond their studio albums sometime because damn they’re awesome!!!
Great deep dive back into Air Tommy. I definitely agree with the top 2 and in that order. I’d put Premiers at #3. But as you can tell, I am heavily biased to the early albums and never gave the later albums a chance with lack of multiple listens. I need to go back and give Pocket Symphony and Love 2 another several listens. Hazaa. -The aforementioned Uncle
Air has been a long time favourite of mine, however I don't seem to play their music as much, as I am enjoying much deeper cuts. But they are one of my go to bands, if I am listing to music with company. Moon Safari for me is my least played albums, it's a song with great songs but not a great album. I have 5 of their albums on vinyl and have thought about adding Love 2, but at +USD300 there is no chance I would buy it. My ranking on what I have. 10,000 Hz Legend. The Virgin Suicides. Pocket Symphony Premiers Symtomes Moon Safari I have also the Late Night Tales compilation which is even less played than Moon Safari. Great band, opening the patch for me to so much music and a band I always come back to.
When I think of Air, I think of Moon Safari, specifically the instrumental tracks. Outside of that, I'm pretty mixed on these guys. With that said, 10,000 hz Legend is fucking weird and I love it lmfao
9: Music for Museum 8: Le voyage dans la lune 7: Virgin Suicides 6: Love 2 5: Pocket Symphony 4: Premiers Symptômes 3: Talkie Walkie 2: Moon Safari 1: 10000 Hz Legend
Artistically, id put their top three as their first three 1. Moon Safari 2. 10,000 hrtz Legend Although, these would be very close- but MS is such a PERFECT album 3. Talkie Walkie All three of these, in terms of Air, were so fresh and different for each other Love 2 below that Virgin suicides below that Id rank Pocket Symphony near the end of the albums im familiar of with them of. It didnt feel legendary, it felt like a lackluster repeat of Talkie Walkie
I pretty agree with that ranking, personally I will probably rank 10000hz legend a bit lower, and I will rank Walkie Talkie and specialy Love 2 higher. But that a good ranking. And Personally, I will just say that The Dream Of Yi is probably one of my favorite Air song suprisingly, I love his welcoming and calming atmosphere, it's very relaxing and I really like it. I prefer in the context of Music for Museum of course, and I will say that exept Art Tatoo who is way too long, Music for museum is good for me, but i don't know if that surpass Le Voyage dans la Lune and The Virgin Suicide.
haven't heard Music for Museum yet, but based on how tommy described it, i doubt id rank it high 8. Pocket Symphony (fav track: Once Upon a Time) 7. Le voyage dans la lune (fav track: Seven Stars) 6. The Virgin S***ides (fav track: Dead Bodies) 5. Love 2 (fav track: Tropical Disease) 4. Premiers symptômes (fav track: Modular Mix) 3. Talkie Walkie (fav track: Cherry Blossom Girl) 2. Moon Safari (fav track: La femme d'argent) 1. 10 000 Hz Legend (fav track: Don't Be Light (fav Air song))
Interesting vid .Unaware of the later stuff Largely agree about Pocket Symphony. I liked it more listening again. Very accomplished album if just a tad "beige". I wish though they'd gone down the weird/eerie route like 10000 hertz legend.
Premiers Symptomes isn't really an album though, just a compilation of previously released material and is considered their debut EP. The original release lacked the 2 bonus tracks.
is there an official public statement from the band to back that up? as far as I've seen they've never officially confirmed anything one way or the other (I certainly wouldn't be surprised if they decided to make it official but the lack of a public statement technically puts them in the pre-2021 Daft Punk limbo of inactivity at worst)
10,000hz Legend is my absolute favourite album to listen to and one that needs to be done in a setting (IMO) - I have listened to this album soo often, I believe it is the soundtrack that is heard in Hell. Ever try to play Radio#1 at a faster speed? It sounds exactly the same, it's not "slow", it is melancholic. Everyone singing sounds mundane, bored, apathetic. Chewing bubblegum. Sex Born Poison is a song written from the perspective of a fetus, it is the Apex of the entire album *cough*. Every word in Sex Born Poison is perfect, non-surperfluous and preciously placed. The writing in this album is SOO GOOD - Plus the Album Art is GORGEOUS. Late 80s / early 90s clean cut futuro design, contrasted with the roughness of rock, the clear blew sky, it fills me with a heavy sense of *LONELINESS*
Me too, it's my uncle who made me discover this wonderful band. I met Nicolas and JB at the Moon Safari tour in Montreal, Quebec and my uncle was very impressed. I met Nicolas at the newspapers store near the venue while waiting for my uncle before the show. As we spoke both french, it was easy to talk, myself as a musician who collected the same kind of gear, we spoke a lot of machines, especially the Mellotron. Nicolas then said: who gonna like our next record, wich was the future Virgin Suicides soundtrack were they used the instrument a lot. I also spoke yo Brian Kehew, who was on that tour for with his Moog Cookbook partner Roger Manning. Brian is a well know Mellotrons collector. So very good memories of my younger years, I was 26 maybe at the time. Eternal love for that band!
"Love 2" for me, criminally underrated, and it doesn't try to do anything more than be a fun album.
Agree! Love Air heaps since beginning and mostly all albums are great and I think Love 2 is one of their best, after Moon Safari and 10.000 Htz Legend...
I'd just like to thank you for getting me into AIR.
Moon Safari is obviously a classic but Talkie Walkie songs has been with me since I was like 12 years old so I just have to put that as number one, also its a flawless album to me.
Premiers Symptomes is the most anxiety reducing album ever. I totally agree!
I can probably say that they are my favourite electronic band of all time. That being said, as much as I love Moon Safari, as iconic as it is, on my list 10,000 Hz Legend is the indisputable NO.1. Moon Safari is perfect, amazing experience, I love it so much, but 10,000 Hz Legend is somehow able to be even more for me, something even deeper, that makes me being connected to it like to some untouchable piece of art. MS in a 9.7/10 in my book and 10,000 HzL is a 10/10. I understand that MS is more popular and known, but I feel about Air the same way I feel about the other French legend, Jarre. I understand the significance of Oxygene, I love the album, but I actually love Zoolook, Equinoxe and Metamorphoses even more. And I think it is an important topic. The other reason I would not put MS on my list as No1 simply because I feel like Air is more than just one album and I don't want people who never heard Air before to think that they just need to listen to MS and that's basically gives you the full Air experience. People should give chance to other albums from great artists other than their most popular album.
Here is my Worst to best of Air albums:
9. Music for Museum
8. Pocket Symphony
7. The Virgin Suicides
6. Premiers Symptomes
5. Le Voyage dans la Lune
4. Love 2
3. Talkie Walkie
2. Moon Safari
1. 10,000 Hz Legend
And yes, thanks for mentioning 5:55 too, I actually like to listen to is from time to time, maybe even more often than I listen to Pocket Symphony itself.
Great & entertaining video, thank you. AIR is one of the bands I'll always come back to since they first released "Premiers Symptomes" back in '97 (I'm old).
I absolutely love the collaboration with Charlotte Gainsbourg (5:55), this one and "Pocket Symphony" are my favourite AIR projects. But I also love "Premiers Symptomes" and "Moon Safari". Great band, they have the best melodies and arrangements.
I love that you went through the same musical journey with Air as I did. But I'm a little bit older, so I got to hear most albums when they came out. Absolutely blew my mind and all albums are still etched into my brain.
Alright, here's my rankings.
9. The Virgin Suicides (7/10)
While it's enjoyable, some tracks can be tiring and downright fustrating to listen to for me.
8. Music For Museum (8/10)
A fantastic ambient album that i still come back everyday for the comforting vibe this project gives off.
7.Premier Symtomes (8.5/10)
I see this EP as an "even more jazzy" Moon Safari, due to my preferences and the length of this EP, this album ranks lower.
6. Le Voyage Dans La Lune (8.75/10)
I think this album is the album that made me the most emotional and tearjerking out of any album, ever.
5. Love 2 (9/10)
I used to have a very negative oppinion about this album, it is until i relistened to Tropical Disease on full vollume, as you said it best, it's like a jazzy Don't Be Light.
4. Moon Safari (9/10)
You might be surprise by the rankings but the scores doesn't lie, Moon Safari is still a one in a lifetime experience.
3. Talkie Walkie (9.5/10)
This album feels like an apology from Air after what they did to us with 10 000 Hz Legend, bringing back the calming vibes of Moon Safari yet still keep some of the experimentation from 10 000 Hz Legend.
2. Pocket Symphony (9.75/10)
This used to be my favorite Air album of all time, until the you-know-what album shot it up my list. This album is thw definition of "peace" for me, although some tracks might not be fitting for that wording, i still got the same feelings as any other track on the album, it is my go to "calm album" and it will be, for a long time.
1. 10 000 Hz Legend (10/10)
When i first heard of this album, i hated it, i think it was a horrible mish mash of electronics, guitar and orchestra. It was until i gave it one more chance, to say the least, the album jumped from a 2.5/10 to a perfect 10/10. And by now, it is the only album i ever gave a 10/10, nothing come close to Air's punch in your face with every single track complimenting eachother, every track in this album is perfection for me notging can even come close to the 12 tracks listing this album have.
Here's my top 5 air songs just for amusement
5. Sex Born Poison.
4.Electronic Performers.
3.Biological.
2.Radian.
1.Don't Be Light / Once Upon a Time.
10,000hz Legend is such an overlooked gem and it definitely has some of Air’s best material, while I do enjoy Moon Safari a lot I do feel as though the darker and creepier atmosphere of 10,000hz Legend intrigues me more and for them to go in the total opposite direction for their follow up to Moon Safari I feel it was an incredibly gutsy and incredible move for them. It’s just a shame that it never really got the love it deserved and still remains somewhat overlooked in favour of Moon Safari and Walkie Talkie but for me songs like Radio #1, The Vagabond, Radian, People in the City and Don’t Be Light stand among Air’s best work and for an album from 2001 it’s aged remarkably well and the production is absolutely sublime. It sucks because I feel like this opinion is very much in the minority but I will always staunchly defend 10000hz and I still consider it the bands best work.
Also if anyone’s curious here’s my ranking
9. Music for Museum (I’ve never really had the urge to listen to this one much and I think I’ve only listened to it about maybe 3 times in total, I just found it a very boring and meandering listen personally and if I didn’t know it was by Air I would’ve just mistaken this as some other ambient outfits album, also 230 dollars for the vinyl, really?)
8. Love 2 (I definitely consider this to be Air’s weakest mainline studio album, nothing has really stuck with me the way songs on the other albums have with me, also the banal and basic lyrics really throw me off and songs such as Sing Sang Sung and Be A Bee come across as mildly irritating to me, that said Tropical Disease and So Light is Her Footfall more than make up for it but overall I’m pretty lukewarm towards this album, I just find it to be a bit all over the place)
7. The Virgin Suicides (I’ve never seen the film but my best friend references it to me a lot and keeps telling me that it’s a must watch even though personally it doesn’t remotely interest me however the soundtrack is pretty decent, the reason why I’ve ranked it so low is because I feel I really need to be in a certain mood to enjoy it and it’s very rare that I actually play it, it’s their biggest downer of an album in my opinion. Also I’m just not really a fan of soundtrack albums in general but as far as The Virgin Suicides OST, this one gets a pass. It’s a good soundtrack but I’ve got to be in a certain kind of mood to really enjoy it)
6. Le Voyage Dans La Lune (I think this is my favourite soundtrack album of theirs, I like the whole mood this album brings and I find it very soothing. It definitely does a good job and conveying the images and feelings of going on a journey to the moon)
5. Pocket Symphony (This album has admittedly shrunk on me due to personal overplay but at one point it was up in my top 3, it was one of the first Air albums I listened to way back in 2009 and for me I will always have a lot of nostalgia for it, the reason why it’s not higher up my list is because I do think it’s a fairly scattershot album as a whole and I only really tend to come back to certain tracks every once in a while now, these tracks are Once Upon a Time, One Hell of a Party, Mer Du Japon and Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping, also Napalm Love is okay too I guess. It’s kind of like how Wonky felt about Talkie Walkie, I’ve sort of fallen out with this album lately but I hope in time I’ll come back to it and enjoy it as a whole once more)
4. Walkie Talkie (The first album I listened to from Air and boy oh boy whenever I listen to this album it brings back serious memories. I still have a lot of love for Walkie Talkie and firmly place it as one of Air’s best albums and I think it does a really good job at combining the poppier and more easy listening side of Moon Safari (tracks like Mike Mills, Cherry Blossom Girl, Venus, Universal Traveller, Alone in Kyoto) and the much darker and less immediate side of 10000hz Legend (tracks such as Run, Another Day, Biological and Surfing on a Rocket come to mind). Personally I love this album a lot and I will always have a soft spot for it, I come back to it a lot during the spring as I associate a lot of the sounds with that time of year and while I do find tracks such as Run and Another Day to be the weak links of the album they do have their place on the album and to make up for it you have some of Airs best tracks on this album. Cherry Blossom Girl, Universal Traveller, Mike Mills, Surfing on a Rocket and the absolutely sublime Alone in Kyoto make this album a highly enjoyable listen, and also Alpha Beta Gaga has been permanently stuck in my head for nearly 15 years at this point and it definitely has one of the catchiest melodies I’ve ever heard. If you haven’t checked out Walkie Talkie yet, I would highly encourage you to do so)
3. Premiers Symptomes (Yes I know it’s an EP but my god what an EP it is, it comes close to reaching absolute perfection in my eyes. You can easily hear how a lot of the tracks would go on to influence Moon Safari. Even though it’s only 5 tracks long, the 1999 re-release has two bonus tracks in the form of Californie and Brakes On which make this EP almost reach album length. Personally I’m not the biggest fan of these bonus tracks as they take away from the original satisfying ending to the EP and don’t really add much to it as a whole, they feel kind of redundant and they kind of ruin the pacing a bit. As for the original EP, it’s pretty much damn near perfect. J’ai Dormi Sous L’eau and Le Soliel are some of the best songs Air have ever done. Even though it’s only an EP I do consider it having a very important place in Air’s history and I consider it to be among their best work)
2. Moon Safari (Obvious choice is obvious I know but Moon Safari is very much Air doing what they do best, pure mood music. As a whole album I feel that Moon Safari comes to a whole nearly almost exactly perfectly, I say almost, having Sexy Boy come right after La Femme D’argent always comes across as really jarring to me and borderline jump scares me at times but overall Moon Safari definitely deserves its reputation for being one of the best electronic/chill out albums of all time. It has this ability to instantly calm and soothe me and I will always love this album for reminding me of my last vacation in Spain, just listening to tracks like All I Need, Kelly Watch the Stars, You Make it Easy, Remember and La Voyage de Penelope all remind me of soaking in the Mediterranean sun shine, dozing off and relaxing without a care in the world. Whenever I feel down and anxious I always put on Moon Safari and it immediately cheers me up. I will always love this album and I consider it the perfect starting point for people trying to get into Air)
1. 10,000hz Legend (I made my thoughts pretty clear on this album in my original comment but for me this album is right up there with Moon Safari as being Air’s best work. While I love the hell out of Moon Safari, I find myself coming back to 10,000hz Legend a lot more these days, mainly during the winter months and I find as a whole 10,000hz is a much more rewarding listen. Yes, it’s a very dark and foreboding listen for the most part compared to Moon Safari and when I first listened to the album I was left utterly confused and bewildered but in recent years I’ve come to really admire this record and I now understand that the whole discomforting vibe is exactly what Air wanted to try to convey. They didn’t want to make a Moon Safari part 2, they wanted to follow it up with something completely different while also still keeping their sound somewhat. There are no bad tracks on this album, they’re all equally brilliant. I feel despite the naysayers and the lukewarm reception this album received on its original release in 2001, I still think this album is well worth checking out. Don’t expect it to hit you right away however, it requires a lot of listens to really get it but once it clicks with you, man is it a rewarding feeling)
I discovered Air through their Twentyears compilation, as such I've grown attached to all their big singles before their albums as a whole. I've since listened to and enjoyed Hz Legend, Safari and Premiers Symptômes, all of which I love. Some Air fans may not consider Twentyears to be a good entry point, but it worked wonders for me, keen to check out the rest of their discography now.
One of the first music videos I recall seeing on the internet several years before UA-cam was by Air (and it's a video I can't find anywhere on here). It was a flashy live performance of People on the City with fancy graphics and a cool synchronized light display. The video impressed me so much as a youngen and the song is so special. I wish I could find the video.
For a second I read the title as AJR and was so confused
I mean, with AJR it's just The Click at the bottom and a nondescript mass of everything else they've ever done above that with OK Orchestra probably sitting at the top entirely by default via its nominal status as the *least* excruciating thing in their catalogue.
Go through their albums in chronological order and you have my worst to best ranking
Ooo now this is a video I’ve been anticipating! It’s nice to hear you talk about Air once more. I actually got into them thanks to your discography review from back in the day. Here is my own ranking from least favorite to favorite as of writing this (excluding Premiers Symptômes because I consider that an EP/Comp. If I were to include that, it would be number 3 or 4).
9. City Reading - I can see why you excluded this. It's not terrible but it's clearly not meant for me as I don't speak or understand Italian.
8. Music for Museum - Decent ambient album but not really memorable.
7. The Virgin Suicides OST - Strong soundtrack with a few big highlights. It does fall short since it is a soundtrack and has the typical repeating melodies but it's still a very good OST.
6. Love 2 - Now we enter "great" territory. This one is underrated, like you said. There are several excellent tracks and quite a bit of variety too. Some of the tracks stand out more than others but nothing here is bad.
5. Pocket Symphony - This is one of my go-to albums when I'm feeling down and it's very effective. There are a few forgettable tracks but the highlights here are amazing and nothing on it is bad. I can see this album growing on me even more over time.
4. Le Voyage Dans La Lune - I know this is a weird one to have this high but something about this soundtrack really does it for me. It may be short but was is here is a blast (no pun intended). I have a few gripes with it but I still love it.
3. Talkie Walkie - Great all around. Each of the 10 tracks have something different to offer and some rank among their best. Alone in Kyoto is the best ending to any of their albums.
2. 10,000 Hz Legend - What a genius album. I'd even say this is a masterpiece. The only track I'm not crazy about is Wonder Milky Bitch but everything else is amazing. Special mention goes to "The Vagabond". That song was initially my least favorite on the album but now it's my favorite Air song period.
1. Moon Safari - Absolute classic from start to finish. Every single track is phenomenal. Relaxing, textured, beautiful.
The top two are practically tied. I adore both of them for different reasons. Number 6 and 5 are very close enjoyment wise.
I lost sight of Air after the first 4 albums, although I regonise Pocket Symphonie and Premier Symptomes, but was very fond of their work. Moon Safari is still my goto album with All I Need having a special place in my heart. 10.000 Hertz was a really exiting and surprising follow-up with great ending of How does it make you feel always putting a smile on my face. Back then I liked Talkie Walkie the best being a moodier mix of the first 2, Cherry Blossom Girl and Alone in Kyoto being my highlights. If I am not mistaken the latter was especialy written for Sofia Coppola's 2nd film Lost in Translation after working with Air on her debut film the Virgin suicides. Another great ranking video 👍
I really like your reviews. Great channel.
Yesss he’s talking about Air again. Someone has to freaking do it
I have only recently dived head first into their catalogue because despite me having heard of them for a while, I surprisingly haven’t got the chance to listen to their material up until probably around the end of 2022 or so. But wow, after going through all of their albums, they’re actually a really great electronic music duo. What I love about their music is how relaxing and heavenly a lot of their tracks sound to me, I could genuinely listen to them forever lol. Here’s my ranking so far (I only ranked their studio albums though):
1. 10,000 Hz Legend
2. Moon Safari
3. Pocket Symphony
4. Talkie Walkie
5. Love 2
6. Le Voyage Dans La Lune
Honestly my ranking may be subject to change because a lot of these are pretty damn close to each other enjoyment-wise and even LVDLL is still pretty damn good to great. Hopefully I look more into their work beyond their studio albums sometime because damn they’re awesome!!!
This is a nice retrospective. I only followed their earlier work so it's nice to see what they've been up to.
Thank you. I'm very much in love with Moon Safari. I'm excited to listen to the other albums.
Great deep dive back into Air Tommy. I definitely agree with the top 2 and in that order. I’d put Premiers at #3. But as you can tell, I am heavily biased to the early albums and never gave the later albums a chance with lack of multiple listens.
I need to go back and give Pocket Symphony and Love 2 another several listens.
Hazaa.
-The aforementioned Uncle
You have become really good at reviewing albums.
Air has been a long time favourite of mine, however I don't seem to play their music as much, as I am enjoying much deeper cuts. But they are one of my go to bands, if I am listing to music with company. Moon Safari for me is my least played albums, it's a song with great songs but not a great album. I have 5 of their albums on vinyl and have thought about adding Love 2, but at +USD300 there is no chance I would buy it. My ranking on what I have.
10,000 Hz Legend.
The Virgin Suicides.
Pocket Symphony
Premiers Symtomes
Moon Safari
I have also the Late Night Tales compilation which is even less played than Moon Safari. Great band, opening the patch for me to so much music and a band I always come back to.
When I think of Air, I think of Moon Safari, specifically the instrumental tracks. Outside of that, I'm pretty mixed on these guys.
With that said, 10,000 hz Legend is fucking weird and I love it lmfao
9: Music for Museum
8: Le voyage dans la lune
7: Virgin Suicides
6: Love 2
5: Pocket Symphony
4: Premiers Symptômes
3: Talkie Walkie
2: Moon Safari
1: 10000 Hz Legend
Virgin Suicides is an amazing movie. Sofia Coppola's masterpiece
I had a dream I edited your review for a Four Tet album and the review was 6 hours long. Felt the need to write that.
Here before brendawg comments wonky slush
wonky slush
Artistically, id put their top three as their first three
1. Moon Safari
2. 10,000 hrtz Legend
Although, these would be very close- but MS is such a PERFECT album
3. Talkie Walkie
All three of these, in terms of Air, were so fresh and different for each other
Love 2 below that
Virgin suicides below that
Id rank Pocket Symphony near the end of the albums im familiar of with them of. It didnt feel legendary, it felt like a lackluster repeat of Talkie Walkie
Music doesn't get much better than Tailsman, man.
I pretty agree with that ranking, personally I will probably rank 10000hz legend a bit lower, and I will rank Walkie Talkie and specialy Love 2 higher. But that a good ranking.
And Personally, I will just say that The Dream Of Yi is probably one of my favorite Air song suprisingly, I love his welcoming and calming atmosphere, it's very relaxing and I really like it. I prefer in the context of Music for Museum of course, and I will say that exept Art Tatoo who is way too long, Music for museum is good for me, but i don't know if that surpass Le Voyage dans la Lune and The Virgin Suicide.
haven't heard Music for Museum yet, but based on how tommy described it, i doubt id rank it high
8. Pocket Symphony (fav track: Once Upon a Time)
7. Le voyage dans la lune (fav track: Seven Stars)
6. The Virgin S***ides (fav track: Dead Bodies)
5. Love 2 (fav track: Tropical Disease)
4. Premiers symptômes (fav track: Modular Mix)
3. Talkie Walkie (fav track: Cherry Blossom Girl)
2. Moon Safari (fav track: La femme d'argent)
1. 10 000 Hz Legend (fav track: Don't Be Light (fav Air song))
hype!
Definitely have Walkie Talkie higher up and yes I do like Run.
you are a very interesting person
Interesting vid .Unaware of the later stuff Largely agree about Pocket Symphony. I liked it more listening again. Very accomplished album if just a tad "beige".
I wish though they'd gone down the weird/eerie route like 10000 hertz legend.
Premiers Symptomes isn't really an album though, just a compilation of previously released material and is considered their debut EP. The original release lacked the 2 bonus tracks.
Heres a review idea, locust toybox stringland. Underrated ambient artist in my opinion
Did you say rum pistol or rumpus at about twenty two mins thirty? Ed. I just got it , rumpistol.
Try kid loco a grand love story
video that features air! ua-cam.com/video/jiVCpSNCYWI/v-deo.html
talkie walkie at 6? hmmmm cannot agree
Rank Underworld's albums goddamit!
Air are not on hiatus but have officially split as far as I know.
is there an official public statement from the band to back that up? as far as I've seen they've never officially confirmed anything one way or the other
(I certainly wouldn't be surprised if they decided to make it official but the lack of a public statement technically puts them in the pre-2021 Daft Punk limbo of inactivity at worst)
@@TheWonkyAngle i think you're right. I went from speculations in the music press.
wonky slush
I used to be annoyed at you but at this point I think you might be the only poster with integrity on this platform.
10,000hz Legend is my absolute favourite album to listen to and one that needs to be done in a setting (IMO) - I have listened to this album soo often, I believe it is the soundtrack that is heard in Hell. Ever try to play Radio#1 at a faster speed? It sounds exactly the same, it's not "slow", it is melancholic. Everyone singing sounds mundane, bored, apathetic. Chewing bubblegum. Sex Born Poison is a song written from the perspective of a fetus, it is the Apex of the entire album *cough*. Every word in Sex Born Poison is perfect, non-surperfluous and preciously placed. The writing in this album is SOO GOOD - Plus the Album Art is GORGEOUS. Late 80s / early 90s clean cut futuro design, contrasted with the roughness of rock, the clear blew sky, it fills me with a heavy sense of *LONELINESS*