at a glance...

Hometown: Versailles, France
Formed: mid 1990s

Members:
Nicolas Godin
Jean-Benoît Dunckel
With:
Hugo Ferran
Brian Reitzell
Gordon Tracks

Bands in the family :
Orange, Etienne de Crecy, Beck, Cassius,Beastie Boys, Automator

Notes:
Nicolas Goudin and J-B Dunckel began their musical safari as an indie rock act called Orange, but the down-tempo Rhodes-and-strings groove of their 1996 "Modular Mix" saw them adopted by the blossoming French house scene. Remixed by Etienne de Crecy early on, they later attracted the attention of beat fanatics from James Lavelle to Beck. Though they play most of their instruments live and rarely use sampling, Air's chilled, post-club sounds remain a favorite of the dance fraternity. Moon Safari was their debut LP; Premiers Symptomes collected early singles and remixes in 1999. Instead of writing new music for a follow-up, they spent the rest of the year creating the score for Sofia Coppola's first feature film, "The Virgin Suicides." The movie and Air's score were both released in 2000.

Links:
Air Mothership
We Love Air

I wasn't even a twinkle in my parents' eyes by the time Lux Lisbon sealed the fate of her sisters in "The Virgin Suicides." Getting the chance to watch her strut around the tree-lined streets of Grosse Pointe, Michigan in the mid-'70s would be enough for me to wish I had been one of the boys who geekily gawked at her and her sisters. But since Lux and co. are merely fiction, I'll settle for the reality of Air's score to the film - at least that will make me think I was there staring at her in the window.

The Virgin Suicides is a mostly instrumental affair. What will surprise most people familiar with Air (and/or unfamiliar with the film) is the turbulence present, though this is what makes the score's mapping of the Lisbon sisters' story effective. The Massive Attack feel of "Clouds Up" gives the score an early feeling of tension, a portent of things to come. "Bathroom Girl" stings the Moog-accustomed with its electric guitar riffs, gentle and brief as they are. The brooding "Dark Messages" lends a tone of anticipation before the harrowing "The Word 'Hurricane'" and "Dirty Trip" bring on a dissonant storm of instruments and siren calls. That trio of tunes makes the entrance of "Highschool Lover," with its bare piano chords mirroring school-girl innocence, all the more sorrowful and haunting a track. From here, thematically, the music becomes more twisted and desperate. "Ghost Song" and its (perhaps too obvious) church organ strains bleeds into the swirling heartbeats and whistles of "Empty House," concluding with "Dead Bodies," a frightening and unexpected musical climax from Air.

In all honesty, there are elements missing and sometimes out of place on the disc. The first and last tracks (both non-score filler) seem to have been tacked on for no reason and the 11 core tracks of The Virgin Suicides' add up to just over 30 minutes, not enough time to ever establish the full weight of the tragedy. Godin and Dunckel, however, succeed in interpreting the film's dreamy '70s vibe and creating sonics with appropriate drama and cinematic flair. Air-heads may wish that the duo keep to the placid seas of the Moon instead of making creepy film scores, but at least Godin and Dunckel prove willing and able to handle a journey to other realms.