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Aptly titled as a substance intangible, expansive and utterly necessary, the French duo of Nicolas Godin and Jean Benoit-Dunckel, aka Air, is unequivocally unique and anachronistic. Their albums combine late ‘70s era keyboards and dreamy, vocodered vocals with astonishingly catchy and accessible melodies; miraculously, while they trip the light fantastic, they retain the ingenuity of true songwriters. Eerily robotic vocals paradoxically convey sensual warmth that is almost R rated over beats ranging markedly from sinister to supernal. The soft-shell, candy-coated narcotic of Air’s electronic lounge act has tranquilized fans since 1995, upon the release of the singles “Casanova 70,” “La Soleil Est Prés de Moi” and “Modular.” Later, washing gently over the scenic shores of electronica, 1998’s Moon Safari was the unambiguous clarion call that the times are a-changin’. The following two releases, the soundtrack to Virgin Suicides and 10,000 Hz Legend channeled a darker mien, and rather abruptly left some fans temporarily in the cold. The latent brilliance of these two albums notwithstanding, Talkie Walkie is unquestionably the band’s largest commercial success to date.
Blue Safari: A Bluegrass Tribute to Air does what Air is famous for: it surprises, it titillates and most importantly, it makes you look at music in a whole new light. The mind-bending, tinkling melodies of “Cherry Blossom Girl,” “Kelly Watch the Stars” and “Radio #1” are transfigured into bewitching songs driven by virtuoso banjo, mandolin and fiddle. The marrying of bluegrass to Air melodies breaks new ground and eradicates stereotypes. A few years ago, scientists theorized that listening to Mozart’s complicated melodies can raise your IQ, known as The Mozart Effect. While the jury is still undecided on the veracity of the effect, we here at CMH Records wish to postulate our own theory, known as the Air Effect. And taking this album home with you is the first step in your educational plan.
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