Pocket Symphony

继2004年畅销大碟《Talkie Walkie》後，2007年全新录音室专辑王牌制作人Nigel Godrich、Pulp前主唱Jarvis Cocker与 TheDivine Comedy主唱Neil Hannon跨刀助阵再现浪漫神话！巧妙融入东方传统乐器，日本三味线与十三弦古筝夺彩争鸣，古典艺术与现代科技创造听觉新飨宴。

2006年秋天法国电子天团Air的成员JB Dunckel发表个人专辑《Darkel》，再度沸腾了全球电音乐迷未曾停止过的热切企盼。
2004年由Nigel Godrich(Radiohead、Travis、Beck、Paul McCartney、Zero7…)监制的畅销专辑《Talkie Walkie》，除了Air往昔的浪漫情怀，尚且掩盖不住摇滚的反叛气息。
身为电子至尊浪漫天团的Air，除了不停重新定义电子音乐中的温暖与冰冷，也始终是其它音乐人、电影导演与剧作家最钟爱的合作对象。
同样来自法国的电音猛将Alex Gopher、法国影歌双栖才女Charlotte Gainsbourg、Jarvis Cocker(前Pulp乐团主唱)以及Neil Hannon(The Divine Comedy主唱与灵魂人物)近期与Air都有紧密的合作关系。
除了JB Dunckel的单飞专辑与监制工作，Air以18个月的时间录制最新录音室作品《Pocket Symphony》。一如过去众星拱月的态势，这张专辑基本上延续他们2006年主导Charlotte Gainsbourg专辑创作的合作阵容，再度由过去多次合作的传奇制作人Nigel Godrich领航，除了JB Dunckel与Nicolas Goldin亲自配唱外，更有Pulp前主唱Jarvis Cocker与The Divine Comedy的主唱与灵魂人物Neil Hannon帮腔助阵。
此张专辑中数首作品都采用日本传统乐器，在一位冲绳传统民俗音乐大师的指导下，十三弦古筝(Koto)与三味线(Shamisen)皆成了AIR营造美感与澎湃情感的最新利器，本张专辑的视觉创作则交由当代艺术家Xavier Veilhan负责。
优雅谐和的乐器配置，除了有日本传统乐器的润饰，在温暖淡雅的钢琴与吉他引领下，本张专辑重返《月光狩猎-Moon Safari》的动人路线。不论是Jarvis Cocker主唱的＜One Hell Of A Party＞，或是Neil Hannon诠释的＜Somewhere Between Waking And Sleeping＞皆是异常突出的作品。
这张作品彷佛提醒着我们，乍暖还寒的时节将届，而Air也回到当初那个最扣人心弦的最佳状态。

Ever since Moon Safari was hailed as an instant classic, Air have swung back and forth between the experimental and accessible sides that Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel united so perfectly on their debut. 10,000 Hz Legend might have been too grandiose and aggressively experimental for some Air fans, but Talkie Walkie sometimes felt as if the duo was presenting the most widely palatable version of their music possible. On Pocket Symphony, Dunckel and Godin find a balance between pretty and inventive that they haven't struck since, well, Moon Safari, even though it isn't nearly as immediate -- even by Air's standards, this is an extremely introspective and atmospheric album. It's beyond clichéd to call the duo's music filmic; nevertheless, "Space Maker" and "Night Sight" play like the album's opening titles and ending credits, bracketing a set of songs that are sadder and wiser than anything Air has done since The Virgin Suicides (particularly "Lost Message," which could have easily appeared on that soundtrack). Made around the same time Dunckel and Godin were working with Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon (who also appear here) on Charlotte Gainsbourg's 5:55 and Dunckel was recording his solo project Darkel, Pocket Symphony could be seen as part of a loose trilogy; if so, it's more in line with 5:55's moody romanticism than Darkel's hyper-pop (where, apparently, any lighter-hearted tracks along the lines of Talkie Walkie's "Alpha Beta Gaga" or "Surfing on a Rocket" ended up)