Air “Love 2″ Review
These days, Air are facing a lot of stiff competition in regards to being the French Pop band du jour. Not only have Daft Punk, Justice and M83 broke out as electronica acts that now hold much more cache with the indie kids than Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel ever did, but they’ve even had to watch their former band mates in Phoenix ascend just as rapidly as Air did back in the Moon Safari and Virgin Suicides days, eclipsing their own popularity in the process. So, they are not the only (or the best) group to choose from when you want some easy listening, blissful French pop songs, as they once were. The battle to stay relevant, or even to reclaim some of their lost stature, is joined with Air’s sixth studio album, the amusingly titled Love 2. Unfortunately, the band does little to assert their elder statesmen claim to the French pop throne, nor do they do anything all that memorable musically to differentiate their sound from their previous lackluster record, 2007’s disappointing Pocket Symphony.
Love 2 starts out strongly enough with the instantly catchy hook of “Do The Joy,” a track the band gave away for free via their web site back in September in order to drum up excitement and publicity for the album. Unfortunately, the pleasurable hypnotic buzz that this track creates represents the best of what this album has to offer, with the band settling in to far more familiar (and far less experimental) territory on snoozers like “Love” and “So Light Is Her Footfall.” Godin and Dunckel are singing a lot more these days than they did early on in their career, and originally their loose grasp of the English language suited their spacey sounds. But now, their vocals mostly sound ridiculous, especially on the seven minute abomination of “Tropical Disease,” and the far too wispy “Heaven’s Light.” There are some inventive, unique sounds threaded throughout Love 2, which has always been what Air does best, but most of those creative beeps and whistles are ruined by cloying, simplistic lyrics and played out robotic vocals.
The nonsense continues on lead single “Sing Sang Sung,” which finds Air trying to capture the ethereal quality of Phoenix’s pop success, without any of the memorable hooks or engrossing lyrics of their compatriot’s. The song is just pop for pop’s sake, and ultimately it’s completely forgettable. The drumming of Joey Waronker (Walt Mink, Beck, R.E.M.) does inject this album with some life, most notably on the propulsive “Be A Bee” and the goof-disco of “Eat My Beat,” but more often than not his talents are wasted (or hidden) within an innocuous puff of synthesizers and whispered lyrics. For a band that has crafted some indelible melodies and moods within their music in the past, Air are perhaps in need of a shakeup, for their well-worn methods have grown a bit tired and stale. And, as there are far more choices available now for those seeking out cool, moody French music, they really need to step up their game or risk being left behind entirely by bands that have perfected and improved on the sound Air once made popular, and fans that simply know better.
LOVE 2, isn’t that bad…It’s definately fresh with wellcrafted songs, “Sing sang sung” is sooo darn catchy! I love listening to this while doing “the housework” pump it up and grab the dustbuster this album makes housework a breeze! it’s a good investment for that reason alone, it’s not too deep and it’s not too shallow, like goldie locks’ porridge…not too hot not too cold…just right!