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with special guests to be announced
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Air-Official Site
AIR have just released "Pocket Symphony", their fourth studio album and the follow up to "Talkie Walkie" (2004).
The album, made up of 12 songs that were recorded over the
last 18 months and co-produced by long time partner Nigel Godrich,
features vocals by Dunckel and Godin themselves but also from Jarvis
Cocker and Neil Hannon (Divine Comedy).
Air once again achieve that rare supernova of artistic vision that
dares to reconcile palpable, unapologetic ambience with unpretentious
soulful simplicity. They create the alternate now, an environment that
begs escapism without denying humanity.
While conventional instruments continue to play a great role, Air have
fashioned several tracks from the new album with the addition of Far
East classical instruments which Godin learnt to play from Shoko, a
Japanese master - namely the Koto (usually referred to as a Japanese
floor harp) and the Shamisen, a 3-stringed instrument which is one of
Japan’s most popular classical instruments & resembles the banjo.
Working their way throughout the album as musical ricochets, these
unearthly sounds of an alien nature add another motif to Air’s sonic
architecture.
Brought by the band into the visual creative process of the album
artwork is contemporary artist Xavier Veilhan. Veilhan who, like Air,
is both fascinated by the possibilities afforded by modern technology,
and inspired by the conventional forms of 'classical' art, revisits and
‘models’ reality using modern media (photography, 3D scanning, digital
imagery).
Air are on tour in Europe from March 14, then in North America from
April 21. The band will appear at the Coachella Festival (April 29) as
well at New York's Madison Square Garden (May 10).
On June 29, Air - along with Phoenix - will perform a special show at
their motherland's Château de Versailles (Alex Gopher & Etienne de
Crecy will provide support).
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