Air - La Voyage Dans Le Lune Review
Posted by Wyatt E. on 02.09.2012
The re-release of one of the world's first sci-fi films gets the soundtrack treatment courtesy of Air.
1. Astronomic Club - 3:12
2. Seven Stars (with Victoria Legrand) - 4:22
3. Retour sur terre - 0:33
4. Parade - 2:33
5. Moon Fever - 3:34
6. Sonic Armada - 5:00
7. Who Am I Now? (with Au Revoir Simone) - 3:01
8. Décollage - 1:38
9. Cosmic Trip - 4:10
10. Homme lune - 0:18
11. Lava - 2:53
It's been said by some critics that Daft Punk are France's greatest export for electronic music, but with Air as a close second. Of course, they couldn't be further apart in terms of approach, since one pair have wound up the demigods of dance music and the other have become neo-new age neo-classical techno pop folk.... whatever. It's funny, then, that Le Voyage Dans Le Lune, sees Air find themselves in similar territory to Daft Punk: well-established veterans dipping into film soundtrack. The only difference is, this isn't the first go-around for Air.
So like, in the early 1900s, there was this silent film, right? Titled La Voyage Dans Le Lune (A Trip To The Moon for you Franco-phonies), and it was considered the first science fiction film in history. You would know it as the movie to feature that old man's face in the moon (yeah, that image). Well, someone recovered the film in 1993, but it was in bad enough condition that the process to rejuvenate the film took over ten years. Upon completion, the film was re-released, and Air was called in to do the soundtrack.
The last time Air got to do a soundtrack was to The Virgin Suicides, and the movie was thus complimented by a hazy, downbeat score that was highlighted by fan favorite "Playground Love." At the time, Air's sound was established as far as the space-y grooves of Moon Safari (the album that's never not a topic of conversation with Air), so bringing that into the context of a film wasn't much of a problem. But it's a decade later, and since then, Air have become something quite different. They retain their influences, certainly, but they've enriched themselves.
As it happens, the modern day Air embrace the soundtrack so much more deeply in 2012. The production, as usual, is very good, and it should be considering the music here takes a lot of twists and turns. The intro, "Astronomic Club," rises from a thundering drum beat to a very-unlike-1902 guitar solo and down to a soft string section in three minutes, giving way perfectly to the tense "Seven Stars," showing a focus on percussion all its own. Of note, the latter song features the backup vocals of Victoria Legrand (of Beach House fame) in a truly inspired choice, and let's hope it's not the last we hear of this collaboration.
As the album progresses, the music has one foot in classic orchestration and one grubby hand in their usual indulgences. "Who Am I Now" could have been a reluctant outtake from Pocket Symphony, except the subject matter seems to be more of wonder than the blues of that album. Meanwhile, "Cosmic Trip" lives up to its title with a steady, pulsing beat, twinkling keyboards and strings, while the jumpy electronic pop of "Parade," sounds like it could stand alongside most other albums in their repertoire.
The two big standouts from the record are big standouts indeed, and one is almost botched. "Sonic Armada" leads off with a jokey sound effect that, by itself, sounds like some tiny, remote controlled helicopter that just short-circuited, big time. It's an obnoxious sound that takes away from what really is a fine song, with wonky, Devo-like keyboards meshing into a surprisingly engaging pop number. And it wouldn't be Air without a strong, introspective closing song: "Lava" has a small female chorus backing up a soft piano arrangement, but that just sets up the final rush of keyboards and guitars to bring the whole record to a perfectly theatrical finish.
The 411: This is, simply, good. It's not classic, not a revelation like Daft Punk's aforementioned Tron: Legacy soundtrack, but most disappointingly, it's not even as solid as the Virgin Suicides soundtrack. There's something about the album that doesn't seem as invigorating, or relevant, as past successes, which is especially a let-down since one would think Air is made for this kind of project. However, it's not unworthy. It has its appropriate moments of bombast, the piano interludes are lovely, and at least half of the record gives you the easy, laid back vibes they excel at. Sometimes a great band just puts out a merely good album.
The last time Air got to do a soundtrack was to The Virgin Suicides, and the movie was thus complimented by a hazy, downbeat score that was highlighted by fan favorite "Playground Love." At the time, Air's sound was established as far as the space-y grooves of Moon Safari (the album that's never not a topic of conversation with Air), so bringing that into the context of a film wasn't much of a problem. But it's a decade later, and since then, Air have become something quite different. They retain their influences, certainly, but they've enriched themselves.
