Moon Safari

Have you ever been out drinking with a few friends and it gets to that late hour where you can either go home or get weird? Your friend says he got a text from an acquaintance that is having a gathering across town. You put up a fake fight but inevitably will go because you don't want to be drunk alone at home. You all share a cab and with every block you drive you notice you're getting farther and farther from home. When you do arrive, the building as some jerryrigged lock system that you've been given vague instructions to and the four of you struggle for 10 minutes before a stranger just let's you in. You get up to the apartment and knock - the door is opened by a white guy with dreads...he hugs your friend and welcomes everyone in. It smells of incents, weed, and definitely a hint of cats. You look around and there are a few people there and they are all zonked out on the couch. You're told there's beer in the fridge and you go get the least offensive IPA of the bunch. You are then offered some sort of powder by your friend. Is it H? Is it K? Is it even possibly Coke? It's dark so who knows. So you say why not and take a line. I was definitely not cocaine. You go into a paranoid spiral about getting hooked on H because of this and get dizzy and try to find a place to sit. Your fucked up brain says - go to the bathroom and lay your face on the cold floor. So you do that...wondering when someone will walk in and freak out. You get up the energy to get out of there...you bolt to your friend and say you gotta go. You fly down the stairs and get in the first cab you see, knowing it's gonna be super expensive...but if I start OD-ing there's a person to help. You get home after dozing in the cab...knowing the cabby was judging you. You climb up your stairs to your apartment. Drink a little water and lay down fully clothed, thinking of nonsense until you eventually fall asleep. That's what this album sounds like

Breathy and tasty like a whipped chocolate mousse.

Psychedelic synth porn got me drooling omg. The basslines are varied both in melody and in tone with some upright, some electric, and lots of synth bass everywhere. It's like a retro Avalanches record. Which, notable difference is how analogue everything sounds and I can't really describe it any other way. I also love the mixing in this - very much an album for headphones and drugs. My only gripe is that Sexy Boy doesn't hit and some of the songs run a bit long.

Surprisingly enjoyable. I thought, upon hearing the first track “okay some more ephereal French flim flam - let’s see how this goes” but with a light hand on the tiller, Air guide us through the rivers of the world. Unusual, and quite unique sounding - there’s plenty of tonal variety and texture within the gestalt of waifish French flim flam. You know what? I’ve talked myself into a 4. In reality probably a 3.5, but I’m feeling good after that, so yeah. 4.

Good nighttime chill album.

Starting to think this 1001 albums thing is bullshit. I can write a better book and curate a better list.

This record shows in some cases a similar style to Daft Punk, but with fewer extremely annoying "experimental" sirenes and blaring synthesizers that make you want to pierce your eardrums with a toothpick. However, some songs do depend too much on generic elevator/video-game menu music vibes, or take a little bit too long to become exciting. Songs that are worth being added to my collection, are Voyage, Ce matin-la, Femme d'argent, Kelly and All I Need. I feel that each of these songs adds something new to the experience, different instrumentals, different tempo but the same funky and relaxing atmosphere. With me liking exactly 50 percent of the album, I feel it deserves an overall score of 6/10.

Oh, it sounds like this?! Saw this album dozens of times as a kid without ever hearing it. Expected it to sound like proto-Landfill Indie but it actually sounds like a coma patient waking up. Because it renders 60's positivity with a 90's futurism whose grasp almost exceeds its reach, that patient could be any number of dead, buried and long-forgotten bands. And because the silly-spooky voices and cute piano figures are imbued with a wry whimsy, I'm guessing the band find their venture both fun and funny. I do too, without ever being totally roused out of my hospital bed. Also has the MASSIVE benefit of featuring THAT song from 10 Things I Hate About You, which I probably watched as many times as I saw this album cover in HMV.

Put this record on, fix yourself a cocktail, close your eyes and you can almost feel those Cafe Del Mar come-downs.

Wow, it's incredible how boring they are able to be. I don't think I've heard many more boring albums in my entire life (OK, Bob Marley is still worse). Not sure why anyone would ever put this on except for just letting something play in the background that won't distract people and which they won't remember.

This is a sexy album. It conjures the vision of a chic lounge sparsely filled to capacity with beautiful, well dressed Parisians. Perhaps tonight I will dream of being invited in.

I loved this album! It made me feel like a sexy spy or something.

So many memories of young adulthood. Original, immaculate and superbly produced album

I’ve officially reached one full week of experiencing and giving my impressions of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It’s been a fun and rewarding project and this is album number seven. The second of which I knew absolutely nothing about.. The album of the day is titled Moon Safari by the French band Air. This effort was released in 1998, one of my favorite years in music in my lifetime in that I was old enough to really start making my own decisions in what I like but more importantly, when I was able to buy my own collection of cassettes and tapes. Full disclosure, I’m not all that knowledgeable about electronic music, EDM, techno and all other related music. I can’t name a single Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers or The Prodigy song. (I do know Fire Starter though!) While I’ve never been able to relate to a lot of this style of music, I respect it and acknowledge it’s influential impact on many, many other genres, including my first love, hip hop. Now that I’ve gotten the homage paying part out of the way, I have to give my honest thoughts on Moon Safari with having only 24 hours with it... There are so many other better albums that could have taken the place of this mediocre record. I don’t intend to offend, but I doubt that I will. Sure, if you put this cassette in the tape deck of my 1988 Acura Integra in 1998, I won’t go rushing for the eject button. It’s not bad at all in any way. I really didn’t mind it. It just didn’t scratch any particular itch for me. I didn’t find myself yearning to hear any of these songs again. Sometimes I’ll listen to a new song obsessively on repeat. Not the case here. I do really like the bass on most tracks. The few songs that actually had vocals were okay. The 70’s synthesizers were dope. I’m not hating on Air or their debut album Moon Safari.. But.. In the end, I won’t go back to this album. I need re-playability in my music. If I’m watching a movie and hear a song from this cut in the soundtrack, I may not even recognize it. There are a couple stand out cuts from a project that, to me, sounded more like a demo from a couple of really talented producers that have yet to find their muse. The second song on the record, Sexy Boy, was the most satisfying with the synthetic voice as a catchy rift. The title song, Moon Safari, one of the two only songs that featured a singer, is a cool 90’s love song. I just feel like their are many other really good albums that should have had their place in this collection. Such as Salt’n Pepa’s Hot Cool and Vicious, or The Barenaked Ladies Stunt album released the same year as Moon Safari, a massive hit. Those are just two examples of monster records that were left off of the list. Oh well. At the end of the day, I didn’t write the book, I’m just consuming it. I’m enjoying every album no matter what. Please share your thoughts, memories and impressions, especially if you’ve experienced Moon Safari for the first time because of this post. If you know and love this album to death, and hold it dearly to your heart please feel free to tell me how wrong I am, because we all perceive music differently and that’s okay!! ✌️

A band like Air are the NFT salesmen of the music industry. Con artists slapping together lazy, worthless music and packaging it as a valuable commodity. They use a couple of instruments on each song, play a simple chord/note progression ad nauseam, and spice it up with reverb or some other shit to mask the monotony. Random Sci-Fi effects are then added to each track that sounds like they've been sourced off a Windows 95 soundboard. There's no artistry involved; it's gimmicky bollocks. These clowns don't even bother with vocals, they just pick a word or meaningless phrase and barf it up repeatedly. Any singing that does appear on this record is heavily distorted to ensure not a hint of talent could possibly seep through. This album is as soulless and vapid as any AI-generated art you'll see online today. It's the Bored Ape of music production. They're TikTokers cosplaying like they're Martin Scorsese. "Moon Safari" sounds the way Mark Zuckerberg's face looks. I fucking hate this shit. 👎👎

Man, I'd totally forgotten about this band. There was a short period where this album was on regular rotation in my college apartment. I had a roomate who became totally enamored with them after hearing one of their tracks on a commercial. I actually really like several of these tracks despite Air being part of that same European school of electronic music as Daft Punk. The repetitiveness of the songs tends to annoy me after three minutes in or so. The songs are, on average, about a minute longer than they should be. That said, it's an album full of good, chill, background jams. I still a fan of La Femme d'Argent, All I Need, and Talisman.

Great downtempo electronic ambient/dream pop music with vocals. Beautiful synths and piano. Smooth bass grooves and some additional horns. String arrangements at some song. Great vocals as well - both male and female.

01) La femme d'argent - 9,5 02) Sexy Boy - 10,0 03) All I Need - 10,0 04) Kelly Watch The Stars - 10,0 05) Talisman - 9,0 06) Remember - 9,0 07) You Make It Easy - 9,5 08) Ce matin là - 9,5 09) New Star in the Sky (Chanson pour Solal) - 9,0 10) Le voyage de Pénélope - 9,0 TOTAL: 9,45 (95/100) I was 20 years old when this came out and I loved it. "Sexy Boy" is one of my all time favorite tracks. 26 years on, and it still sounds fresh AF. Hell, all of the album makes me feel like I'm 20 again and like the whole world is mine... And you know what? Maybe it is...

This album manages to create an entire atmosphere bubble in your living room. It's so original and fresh, I highly recommend the adventure!

31st May 2021 Listened on the drive home to London. Sometimes an album catches you perfectly, and this says a lot about the importance of when and where you listen to an album. Summer afternoon, window down, perfect. Air walked so Daft Punk could do the robot?

So THESE are the guys to blame for 'low-tempo'?!?! Where's the time machine so I can go back and make sure lofi beats never existed😭 I had hope for about 10 seconds at the start of this when a fun bass kicked in and I thought it would be an intro and turn into rock... how wrong I was. Nothing clawed back anywhere near those first, innocent seconds. Funky at times, just not my thing.

What a breath of fresh air. It's easy to understand how this kind of thing could take over the world. I remember first hearing Air during the worst hangover I had in my life - new year's day after a night of too many different types of alcohol - beer, whiskey, wine, champagne, gin... I was debilitated, couldn't go out, couldn't move, and my friend put them on and it provided a nice cool atmosphere to make me feel, at least temporarily, a little less miserable. That memory aside, I found this album irresistible.

Really fantastic album, enjoyed it a lot. Kind of reminiscent of Portishead in the downtempo instrumentals with the occasional Daft Punk-esque vocoded vocals. Didn't know what to expect going in but it was excellent.

There are some gorgeous songs here. These guys really know how to craft a relaxing and wondrous atmosphere to get lost in. Unfortunately, the line between "relaxing and wondrous" and "just kinda boring:" is a thin one, and it is nearly a coin flip to determine which side any song falls on. It is a nice album, but not consistent enough for me in its execution.

Great music if you are waiting to get through to a call centre 😐

Incredibly, incredibly BORING.

Jesus, another French techno band. Pretty sure back to back French groups is some kind of cruel joke my son is playing on me. And much like the French, I surrendered very early into this one. Think I took it easy on the previous album, probably because it was only 1/2 French. These guys should have waved the white flag right about the time they started the first song. Only listened once and will not listen again. Very slow, very boring. F the French and F this album. I see Van Halen coming up so at least I'll hear some great music soon. 0 Can't give zero, so 1 it is..........

My bus has turned into a space ship and major tom is at the controls as we fly away...........now a sexy disco has started we are dancing away in a most peculiar way.......goodbye everyone....... Polymath

Loved this album when it was released, still love it now.

<3333 Prefs: La Femme d'Argent, Sexy Boy, Talisman, Ce Matin-Là, New Start in the Sky, Le Voyage de Pénélope Moins pref: Remember

We have really failed as a species considering the fact that we don't make more music that sounds like this.

So I was thinking, I've been handing out too many 5 stars lately, therefore Moon Safari needs to get 4 stars. But then I started listening to the album again after, admittedly, way too long a break. The bass lines on the first track (La femme d'argent) were all it took to make me shiver and recall taking the chance and buying the CD based on an old friend's recommendation. And then Sexy Boy, and then Beth Hirsch's voice, and on and on - each and every song on this album is something special. I'm sorry to say it, but this is "another" 5 stars album. How I loved Air! But I still need a lot of Air.

Blissfully drifted away on a sunny Friday morning. The mellow sounds made be want to swim in a tranquil sea...with a group of people, in order to stop the tyranny of our Hollywood paedophile overlords.

I can't believe this was released in 98! This was so influential when it came out, I was into Sophia Coppola's films at the time also, particularly Virgin Suicides so this really hit the spot. The way they were able to blend groovy sounds from the 60s and 70s into this new \"chill out\" sound was really innovative and this album holds up surprisingly well today.

The French Pop duo AIR kickstarted their career with an album that neatly combines elements of Ambient Pop with spacey soundscapes and a relaxed and atmospheric feeling that fills every spot of the album. While it isn't anything boundary pushing or crazy experimental for its time, it's a nice combination of what other and older albums (like Mother Earth's Plantasia) tried to do. The album starts with its longest and pretty much best song 'La femme d'argent' which comes around with over 7 minutes of Space Age Pop, Downtempo and Neo-Psychedelia combined together with a little bit of Lounge and Nu Jazz similarities sprinkled throughout. It starts off with some rain sounds that stay for a while but get overshadowed by the bongo-like drums and that different other instruments including spacey Moog synths and an organ which create a hypnotic listen full of magical moments that keep it interesting the whole way through. It's a lovely song but not incredible enough to make feel stunned with what they did. It's not perfect by any means but definitely a great track that makes you really feel like you're on a Moon Safari even if I wished they pushed themselves and the sound further. 'Sexy Boy' plays with a much more electronic sound throughout. It feels very much like an early Daft Punk song with some slightly distorted vocals added on top. It's definitely not a bad song but they fail to use the repetition to their advantege. The detail work is done well with some nice moments throughout especially with the vocals but the structure is just a little stale and boring. The song's overall pretty good but not anything crazy at all. The first of two songs to feature additional vocals from Beth Hirsch who is technically a skilled vocalist but I am really not a fan of her style and how she uses her voice. It feels overdone and odd. The song itself is sadly very much based around these vocals and therefore can't really do much on its own although the final minute has some okay qualities. But as a whole, the song is okay with the vocals ruining a lot of it. It simply feels too average to be properly enjoyed. The slight Synth Funk additions on 'Kelly Watch the Stars' sadly don't work with the Ambient sound that it features in the background. The vocals are again not really good and fit just okay. The song overall just doesn't fit together in itself and simply doesn't work with anything that it tries. The technical and sometimes detailed additions around it do enhance it overall but not enough to still be a below average track. Luckily, 'Talisman' does its thing much better. There is a clear ambition of having some relaxed soundscapes but some tension added and the result works. It feels a lot like something you'd maybe hear in a spy movie with all the atmosphere that is dark and with enough tension to fuel it all while still having a Downtempo and relaxed song by itself. It's done really well and might be one of the better tracks the album has to offer even if it does feel a little repetetive towards the end. Even with the short length that 'Remember' has, it offers some nice blends of the strong electronic sound with some Soul elements in the vocals which are again distorted and some trippy soundscapes around it. It's a pretty nice song and it does have a place on the album even if I think that some of the vocal parts are a little annoying. The other song with Beth Hirsch, 'You Make It Easy', actually features some more obvious Jazz elements with a very Bossa Nova style combined with Trip Hop, Soul and Ambient elements. It's much better than the first song with her and actually a pretty nice song overall. Some of the synth and moog elements are a little annoying and the mixing isn't the best on the album (way to many drums on the left side at one point) but the songwriting is pretty good and the song overall is an alright track with some nice moments. 'Ce matin-là' is without a doubt the most relaxed song here. It's another entirely instrumental but this time it's much less spacey and full of hypnotic soundscapes. No, this is just some really nice and Jazzy Lounge music that's simply very light on the ears with few moments that really go out of it's way. It does feel a lot like an interlude of some sorts but bad at all. It's a pretty good song that's fairly enjoyable for what it is. Another relaxed one is 'New Star in the Sky (Chanson pour Solal)' which does have some more vocals (again, not the most interesting or good) and some nice synth additions but it does feel very boring and bland even with the few Field Recording additions of kids playing in the background. It's got only very few moments that are actually interesting and do that what it obviously tries. Most of it is either boring or annoying which makes the song as a whole end up pretty much as a very boring attempt and nothing more. The album finishes with 'Le voyage de Pénélope' which isn't too much of an upgrade compared to the previous song. It does close of the album and pretty much completes the album sonically with some more Nu-Jazz and Neo-Psychedelia on the established Downtempo electronica and it does have obvious attempts of closing the album like a real finale but for me it returns as a pretty good instead of really grand song but it's a nice ending with some really nice moments throughout. It is one of the better songs on the album. favourites: La femme d'argent, Le voyage de Pénélope, least favourites: New Star in the Sky (Chanson pour Solal), All I Need, Kelly Watch the Stars Rating: decent 6 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

This is an odd one - it's perfectly nice, with some very nice noises, but it's also not very engaging. I feel calling it background music is really harsh, but if I was the kind of person to host dinner parties I think this would probably be the first album I'd reach for to play during dinner.

It was ok

Sophisticated elevator music. Innovative but kind of boring.

dont give me this shit ever again

Did not enjoy. Too much synth, too repetitive, “frog music” vibes. Felt like I needed a lot of drugs to enjoy it.

This shit gobbles penis

Annoyingly unnecessary.

I’m completely biased when it comes to 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘢𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘪, but some albums make it hard to pretend otherwise. For me, it’s one of the finest electronic albums ever made. From beginning to end, Air create a sound that is warm, elegant, and effortlessly immersive, making the album feel less like a collection of songs and more like a place you can disappear into for an hour. What I love most is how relaxed it is. The album never feels the need to show off or overwhelm the listener. Instead, it lets its melodies, textures, and atmosphere do the work. There’s a softness to 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘢𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘪 that sets it apart from a lot of electronic music, giving it a timeless quality that still feels fresh decades later. More than anything, it’s an album I never get tired of returning to. Every time I put it on, it creates the same sense of calm and wonder that made me fall in love with it in the first place. For all my bias, it remains one of the best electronic albums I’ve ever heard.

it's my favorite album to listen and get high. but more than that, it's extremely chill, classy, aesthetic. it's one of the reasons i like so much trip-hop/downtempo. It's so evocative, in a retrofuturisc way. in a personal sense, i feel very strongly this album, and the way in can make me so relaxed and thoughtful. As Kid Cudi said "the lonely stoner seems to free his mind at night". But it's not sad, and that's essential to make it so differential from other albums in this genre.

Fantastic album. I could listen to the bassline and the organ solo on the opening track all day. Air is one of the better discoveries from this project, their other album on here is excellent also. The downtempo chill out space pop really does it for me. Throwing this album on the playlist. Dig it.

Best Elevator music going. The French rarley get things right, but with this one they cooked.

This is #day217 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here’s to some evening cocktail music, right? If I’d listened to this in the morning like I usually do with albums in this challenge, I might’ve called it "morning cocktail music," but who drinks cocktails in the morning? Well, anyway... Somehow, I ended up listening to this record later into the night. And, of course, I’m lying when I say "somehow." It’s just that I was busy working in the morning—because, you know, that’s what you do when you’re older. By a lucky coincidence, though, the music ended up fitting perfectly with the time of day. Even luckier still, the album is called Moon Safari, so it kind of hints at the nighttime—or, you know, the very early morning, when you might still catch a glimpse of a crescent or full moon in the sky. It’s a beautiful record. "La femme d'argent," "Sexy Boy," and "All I Need" rang a bell immediately, but there are also other great moments here. A downtempo, dreamy, spacey synth odyssey is probably the best way to describe this album. Or, Kraftwerk marrying Pink Floyd marrying Brian Eno. I'm giving it a 5 out of 5. No wonder I rated the Virgin Suicides score a 4 back in the day. Looking forward to #day218.

At university in the late 1990s, I had a CD player with a timer function, and I used Moon Safari as my alarm - the first track fades in with rain noises so it’s good for waking up gently. Hearing it again made me feel like I was late for a lecture, but also reminded me why I liked it so much in the first place, and not just because it’s perfect for snoozing when you’re a student who struggles to drag her lazy arse out of bed.

Chillwave before chillwave was even a thing. Love the use of real instruments interspersed here too. Great vibe with this one.

112 albums in and finally a 5 star.

I’m glad I got at least one more album that rocks equally hard when high or sober. Super catchy French electronica and first two songs plus last one were my favs.

Cool versatile album. Love thd wontempo chill wave, also cool that they did this back in the late 90s,seems very ahead of its time!

Pleasantly surprised! The Downtempo genre description worried me a bit after slogging through three nothing albums in a roll but this one turned out to be very vibey

Feels almost ahead of its time, definitely a pioneer in the electronic scene.

We need half stars, this is another 9! Beautiful, chilled downtempo. Puts me in a good, relaxed mood every time. La Femme D'argent is an incredible piece of music to kick things off, Sexy Boy and All I Need keep the high standard going. Does drop off slightly towards the end but not by much. Lovely album and a must listen.

Albums like this reinvigorate this project for me. After weeks of shitty rock band after shitty rock band (looking at you Eagles) there is finally an album showing me something I’ve never heard before. Awesome sound and cool as hell concept.

Like it a lot, hints of daft punk, Radiohead and such. Vocals aren’t quite to my liking but the instrumentals are fun and keep you listening.

Very evocative of a different time. It's very easy to listen to, quite soothing. I was listening on youtube and after the album finished the next couple of autoplay items were other Air tracks - and I didn't even notice the album had ended. It came get a bit beige and samey, but I would happily listen again.

Pretty all over the place. Might need to give another listen. UPDATE - gave this a re-listen, easy 4. Great production, great bass.

What a fabulous album—mellow and beautiful.

Ok so right off the bat, “Moon Safari” is an excellent name for an album and I love. “Air” isn’t a great name for a band or group, but I’ll allow it. This was cool. I’ve come to realize through this project that I do actually like electronic instrumental music. It’s all about the vibes and when it hits right, it’s amazing. There were a couple tracks I’d consider duds, but not many. A few really stood out. And that one last one kind of sounded like the melody from “Ain’t No Sunshine,” so that was weird. Maybe they were going for that? I dunno. This was cool. Four stars. Standout Tracks: La femme d’argent, Kelly Watch the Stars, Talisman

La femme d'argent // Sexy Boy // Talisman // You Make It Easy // Ce matin-là // Le voyage de Pénélope

Not sure how I slept on this when it was released, given how much downtempo I enjoyed at the time it was released. Definitely rings of the Bristol trip-hop sound; bringing notes of Zero 7, Everything but the Girl (particularly "All I Need"), Massive Attack). Enjoyable listen, for sure.

"Moon Safari" is the debut album from French electronic duo Air. The music is laid back and in the downtempo or chillwave category. Some people have compared this to sounding like and influenced by Garbage and Everything But Girl. I'd also add Kraftwerk and Daft Punk. I've always like this album. Very relaxing. I like the variety between songs with some being/using computer-distorted vocals, an actually female singer, all instrumental, changes in drum beats, odd sounding noises, more strings, more soundtrack-like, the use of the Moog and other random instruments. The album begins with the instrumental "La Femme D'argent" with kind of a funky groove, ambient keyboards, outer space sounds and definitely chill. The second and biggest song on the album is "Sexy Boy." It has great keyboards with its melody and also giving it a trance-like atmosphere. The voice is highly computerized, French and English and very androgynous. An actual female lead singer, Beth Hirsch, gives the third song "All I Need" an emotional punch maybe missing in the first two songs. An acoustic guitar start also gives it more a traditional rock song structure but that eventually yields to a Moog synthesizer. And, by the fourth song "Kelly Watch the Stars" with its distorted vocals, repetitive lyrics, actual drums, organ weird Moog sounds and glockenspiel, you have no idea where these songs might be going. A definite Kraftwerk influence here. Another song of note is "You Make It Easy" again featuring vocals by Beth Hirsch. Another more tradional song, softer, nice beat, background synthesizers. Laid back. "Moon Safari" is highly thought of critically. As previously mentioned, I liked its relative variety of songs, all still within the electronic and chill category. I had Air's soundtrack to "Virgin's Suicides," a few months ago. I think "Moon Safari'" is a better place to start if you want to check out Air and chillwave-type music.

I'm not sure how it's taken me almost a quarter of a century to listen to this, but I certainly won't be leaving it 23 years before its next spin. A brilliant album from start to finish. A really nice, vibe that hits the perfect spot between fun and relaxing. Some bangers that I was already familiar with, interspersed with chilled out tracks, giving this album a great flow and feel. Effortlessly cool and catchy without being cheesy. Instantly love it.

This project has me thinking back on the various ways that I have discovered music over the years; via friends, radio (especially Triple J and 2SER), borrowing tapes from the local library, books and magazines, watching Rage (Australian all-night video show), working in a record store, blogs, etc. But a source I hadn't really considered until recently was magazine cover CDs. In the 90s and early 2000s I was fan of those expensive UK music mags like Mojo and Uncut that typically had a compilation Cd attached on the cover. The best ones were themed, but they were often just 'best recent releases'. I know that Air was a band I first came across via that medium. I looked up their discogs page and can see they appeared on >500 compilation CDs between 1998 and 2003. This was clearly a deliberate part of their promotional strategy, and I reckon it worked. It certainly worked on me. Tracks form this record always popped out on a compilation; cool, spacious, catchy, relaxed and unhurried. Flicking though my collection, it seems like I don't actually own a copy of Moon Safari, which surprises me. I am so familiar with the album that I could have sworn blind I must own it. Maybe there is a CD in a box somewhere. But that kind of summarizes my view; great background record that I would happily listen to almost any time, but not something I feel the need to search out and throw on the turntable. The largely instrumental (or so vocally minimal that they may as well be) album was really well suited to placement in films and television and ads etc, and this album became part of the environmental soundtrack of the late 90s and early 2000s. And why not? It was tasteful and funky and full of interesting moments without being aggressively in-your-face. You could do worse. The album is, thankfully, not overlong, but it does suffer from being heavily frontloaded with the best tracks. One minor quibble. They never met a filter mod they didn't like and (over-)use; wah wah, LFO filter sweeps, vocoders, phasers, hi-pass filters, lo-pass filters, and probably some I can't identify. But they loooove a filter. It almost becomes a cliche by the end of the album, like J.J. Abrams and lens flare.

When to listen: feeling spacey and futuristic. It’s synth. It’s fun. It’s unique. But it’s also repetitive.

Something I’ve circled many times in my musical lifetime yet never fully sat down to listen to, until now. Vastly prefer the instrumental stuff to the stuff with vocals, as it feels like a stand-in for a movie score (hello Sofia Coppola’s Virgin Suicides) as opposed to some adult-contemporary, ‘90s French neu-pop (hello track 3, “All I Need.”) I do realize that this record is a big deal and I’ll be spending tonight digging into the context of “why,” but it didn’t gel with me overall! I can still get it being on an essential list, but it’s not on mine.

6/10 This was pretty good. It was like elevator music for a very sexy elevator. 5-20-2024

Day two. I got really excited for a moment there. I thought it was recommending an album by Moon Safari that I had never heard. But no, this is an album named Moon Safari, by Air. Okay. I've heard of this, but its a new listen for me. Its a very relaxing electronic album. Very chill vibes. Every song has had a cool bass groove. I can dig the dreamy vibe here, and it sounds great through the headphones, blocking out the silliness going on around me. But, its just kind of generic in the end. I've heard many similar albums that were just better. In the end, it just got me more excited for the new album by Moon Safari that is coming out this week. Himlabacken Vol. 2. Swedish prog rock with incredible vocal harmonies.

Dreamy, spacey electronic music. Some of the sounds are a little dated but overall it’s not a bad album. Easy to listen to and not repetitive like some songs on similar albums.

Instant transport to 1998, and it stands up pretty well, if of its time. Loved it back then. As an album now, there are more longueurs than I remembered, but still enjoyable. 3.5

Elevator music

Garbage. Boring repetitive garbage. One of the worst albums I've ever heard in my life.

This album beautifully captures the zeitgeist of late 1990s. The optimism brought by the evolution of technology, the feeling of change, the boldness to be different and whoever you want to be. The songs are both sweet, sexy, melancholic, but they all transform you to a time that's so different from today, that it almost feels unreal.

Yeah, this is my shit

Every time I listen to this album, I can picture different moments of my life. I remember discovering them on MTVLA, Sexy Boy and Kelly were mainstays for months in the late 90s. I studied with this album, decicated songs, roadtrips, reunions, late nights. I was obsessed with the band for years, searching and listening to French radio and KCRW interviews. Few albums have been as impactful in my life as this one. Flawless

Amazing very atmospheric would make amazing background or listening music

i love this album, and loved it so hard when it first came out. it feel deliciously timeless

If you are looking for deep and meaningful you won't find it here. If you want a beautifully crafted musical soundscape that is full and warm yet strangely spacious you'll find it in spades here. I saw Air play at the Dome in Brighton supported by Joy Zipper who you might like if Air is your kind of thing.

Excellent music for an early morning commute

Músicas relaxantes

- Coming into this album just leaving some Leonard Cohen. I love surf, and funk to what I'm hearing from the first track. La femme d'argent. That funky bass line is already getting my head moving. From first view it appears as there are no lyrics on the first track which is another good sign. This means we are here for some good vibes / jams. Just checked it out the song translates to The Silver Woman. This title and the French assigned to it, gives you a sort of sensual feeling and something that you can rly get down to. Absolute banger so far. - Around 2 years ago or so, I saw oceans 11 for the first time. I fell in love with the instrumental soundtrack produced by David Holmes, and he made some bangers like Million Dollar Chinese Man. This is already giving me those vibes. I have never heard of "Air" before but they have a very interesting sound and I am hooked already. - Sexy boy is even more addicting than The Silver Woman. So the lyrics are sharp, and sang by two women? It sounds super cool. Safari reminds me of The Beach Boys --> Surfin' Safari / Safari. Brings good vibes because who doesn't love some beach fun. Only possible complaint that is lowering it down from a 5 would be the repetitiveness of the album. Seems like they are repeating themselves a lot. - All I Need, opens up some lyrics that are quite unexpected. I thought the whole album would just be some instrumental beats / jams but idk this is opening up new possibilities. Beth Hirsch reminds me of the beautiful voice of Kali Uchis, almost making me feel that this song brings Tyler, The Creator vibes. The beat is screaming his name and the vocals are just bringing that up in my brain. This track feels almost as calming as "Find Your Wings" with a little more nostalgic vibe to it. - Kelly Watch the Stars, sounds like a celebration or like a party time, hold on the vocals are giving hard Daft Punk vibes. These guys sound like Justice, Daft Punk, and Sigue Sigue Sputnik all had a baby together. Sounds sick asf. - So I just realized I didn't inspect the album cover enough, to which it obviously reads "French Band" across the side of AIR. So that's chill ig. Talisman sounds like a super cool strings / bass slam together. Very interesting and "new" sounding song with sort of futuristic attributes to it. ( keep in mind with this review there is not a lot of blood in my brain still from my recent hospital encounter so I might still be going insane. ) - So far this album sounds like a perfect album to sit and study to. Remember opens up with a weird ahh voice that idk if I'm gonna be able to get around listening to without cringing, but its ok cuz the beat is banger. Reminds me of the "Fitter Happier" voice from OK Computer. - Something about the notes these guys play just makes my brain tingle. Idk how or why but the a sharp to the c flat just brings me like immense dopamine rush. - You Make It Easy, brings a super calming feeling. Talking about the perfect love one may feel for another. I felt this heavy, with my ex-girlfriend from grade 10. Everything in grade 10 was stupid, awkward and cringe, until she showed up and made everything easy. Nothing was stupid anymore because we both thought that it was funny and cool. That feeling of comfort you get with that one special person, is something you should try and hold onto forever. - Ce matin-là ( That morning ) is a song that brings a whole lot of beauty to our ears. Sounds like the sound of immense joy, happiness, perfection. At around 2:40 when that funky guitar sound starts to play, that really tingles my ears. In just the best way possible. - New Star in the Sky, is a title that can be symbolized as finding a new love interest, or discovering a new possibility or achievement. The song features some vocals, and amazing chords per usual, what stood out to me was when he said; "The world, the world, the world, the world Just for you, for nobody else." This quote makes me almost think that he is abandoning his old woman, for this new star in the sky. This song symbolizes a good feeling, of being free from past chains and rules. Moving on to something completely new. - Le voyage de Pénélope ( Penelope's Journey ), first impression of this track; who the heck is Penelope. We have heard absolutely 0 names in this album so far so bringing this up is super random. This track sounds as if something is disturbing to start up with, as if there is a problem that needs to be solved. STOP THAT DRUM INTO IS INSANE. The slow fade in is absolutely amazing. Something I can absolutely jam/funk out to. The synthesizer makes me just want to- WAIT that weird glitchy drum. I've never heard anything like this before... The glitchy bass drum thing sounds really distorted, and amazing. The strings just add to this effect. THIS SONG. BRINGS THE ALBUM UP TO A 5. I'm in love dude, that was an amazing experience and will be looping this album again.

I cannot believe there are two Air albums on this list, but it’s also weirdly good even if the music doesn’t stand out.

I know virtually nothing of Air other than "Sexy Boy", which in itself has become an iconic electronic track for it's almost throat sounding beats and breathy female vocals; I've always loved it. "La Femme D'argent" had a beautiful lounge vibe created in it's smooth and consistent bassline, accompanied by the electric organ sounds and synth sounds. "All I Need" took me by surprise with it's actual lyrics, delivered beautifully by Hirsch. Against Air's signature lounge electronic style, it felt like something truly special. Hirsch's performance on "You Make It Easy" was just as beautiful, but the arrangement didn't quite come together as well as All I Need. Between the bassline, the sinister synth sounds and the rise and falls of the violins, I found "Talisman" truly beautiful, too. "Remember" with it's distorted voice and instrumentation bore resemblance to Daft Punk for me; bias swaying my like for the track. "New Star in the Sky" and "Le Voyage de Penelope" were also gorgeous in their own right. Overall, this album surprised me by offering more than just the electronic sound I thought they were initially comprised of. The whole album was beautiful.

I have the cd!! Feels like your an alien an another planet where everything is like blue and lila Favorite: sexy boy

Diosssss que joya, es un gran álbum toda la combinación de géneros musicales es wow, la mejor canción en mi opinión es “Talismán “, pero sin duda las demás le sacan lucha

loved it more albums like this plsss

Have loved this album since it can't out, it's superb, chilled and just wonderfully put together. By far the best album by Air.

Loved this one. Bounces between fatboy slimesque electronic beats and soothing soul grooves

One of my fave albums of all time - listened to air all day after !

Loved this vibe a lot, definitely going to come back to it. Was making cookies while listening and it really nailed it

When I was in my late teens, I decided to try and listen to something that I don't listen to usually. Well, that backfired since here I am 20 years later trying to repeat the same process via this 1001 albums exercise! At the time, undecided on what to listen, I looked over online or consulted with friends about what should I give a chance to. This album routinely popped up in a lot of suggestions so it was one of those I gave a try. I had huge expectations, naturally, as it is one of the most lauded albums of all time. Man, they were not wrong, and all these years later, it still sounds great.

muito bom

I liked it. It was quite funky.

Great album that harkens back to the space age. Reminds me of Royksopp.

Sublime!

Nice trance of rock and roll, fun surprise

Great record, I have it on vinyl

Nice