AIR - 10,000 HZ Legend

AIR accomplished on their second official full-length what Daft Punk should have accomplished on theirs. They've taken a mix of their sounds and blended them together into an album that is interesting from start to finish. To understand how accomplished this album is, a little history is needed. Moon Safari was a great album in it's own time, mostly upbeat songs with a slight undertone of some mysterious dark tones. "Kelly Watch The Stars" is a great example of the optimism through pessimism that AIR is quite good at. However, Moon Safari didn't have the right sound for AIR, not yet. When members Godin and Dunkel put together the score for The Virgin Suicides it seemed they had found their niche by constructing songs with an overall darker tone, but with a hint of optimism, like "Playground Love." However, "Suicide Underground" was the epitome of dark and downright eerie for the band. So then 10,000 Hz Legend is released, and AIR has taken their style from Moon Safari and The Virgin Suicidesand melded it together into the next step of their sound. Songs like "How Does It Make You Feel" bring the feeling of longing that "Kelly Watch The Stars" hinted at, but has the dark tone of the likes of "The Hurricane" from Virgin Suicides. That's not to say that this album requires an experienced AIR listener to enjoy it, but it may bring another level of appreciation. "Radio #1" is the most upbeat track on the album, poking fun at lack of artistic merit found on today's radio dial. "People In The City" is the other upbeat track, though it takes alot longer to build up to it, with it's gentle keyboard tones and droning vocals. The most interesting aspect of this album is guest appearances by several somewhat famous vocalists. Jason Falkner appears on several tracks, Beck appears on two, and Buffalo Daughter makes an appearance as well. This seems like a cheesy way to get press at first, but the choice of vocalists was intelligent and works for the parts they were chosen for. When "real" vocalists aren't needed, AIR opts for the vocoder, and it really fits the mood. This album is a great listen from start to finish, but isn't an album you're going to cruise the Interstate with, it's more of a sit back, relax, and let it consume you kind of album. [www.10000hzlegend.com]