Brian Eno News

Air's fourth studio album, "Pocket Symphony," finds the French duo having a love affair with the very concept of love.

"It became a cycle of songwriting, like a loop," band member Nicolas Godin says.

Godin and his musical partner, Jean-Benoit Dunckel, had just completed working with Charlotte Gainsbourg on her album "5:55" when they began creating a foundation for "Pocket Symphony."

After working with the singer/actress, Godin says he and Dunckel were more at peace with themselves musically, "And we were excited about songwriting again."

Pausing for a moment, he continues, "With Charlotte, we had to do a lot of songs. For our own album, we were fed up with songs. Which is why it's more instrumental, more like a soundtrack, more atmospheric. It's what I like doing best."

Due March 6 from Astralwerks, "Pocket Symphony" revels in sweet, at times melancholic, instrumentation, harking back to the duo's seminal debut, "Moon Safari." Vocals are kept to a minimum, except on "One Hell of a Party" and "Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping," which feature guest turns from Pulp's Jarvis Cocker and the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon, respectively. Air worked with Cocker and Hannon on Gainsbourg's album.

BLENDING CULTURES

Godin acknowledges that these artists add something special to Air's music. "They bring with them a culture of songwriting from England," Godin says. "As French guys, we have a different background. They are so British, with a pop culture that comes through in their songwriting."

"Pocket Symphony" offers surprises in the form of Eastern musical elements. Thanks to a chat with a Parisian woman -- a specialist in Japanese art -- Godin became excited about infusing this culture into Air's music. So, he found a Japanese music teacher and learned to play the koto and shamisen, classical instruments from the Far East.

"We developed an Asian way to making music," Godin says. Still, "It's very Western."

Air's new West-meets-East sound likely will attract music supervisors in Hollywood and creatives on Madison Avenue. In the past, the duo's songs have been used in campaigns for Levi Strauss, Nissan and Heineken, as well as "Sex and the City," "The OC," "Six Feet Under" and "Lost in Translation." Such use is fine by Air -- as long as it makes sense, Godin says.

"We get requests every day from people around the world who want to license our music. We say 'yes' about every couple of months," says Godin, a fan of "The Sopranos," "24" and '70s shows like "Starsky and Hutch."

"We take each request one by one," Godin adds. "We look at the creative and commercial aspects. But there are some songs we have written, songs that come from such a personal place, that we would never license them."

Josh Rabinowitz, senior VP/director of music at advertising agency Gray Worldwide, quotes Brian Eno to explain why the music of Air resonates with creative folks in the visual medium. "It's about a soundscape that is 'as ignorable as it is interesting.' Air's sonic qualities allow their music to meld and become one with the aura of the visual."

This is not lost on Astralwerks, which is courting music supervisors and agency creatives with the new album.

The label also is aggressively marketing the album online, working with several terrestrial video outlets, including MySpace, YouTube and Second Life.

Ringtones will play a major role, too. Initially five tracks from the new album will be made available, with more to follow. Previous Air videos also are scheduled for digital release. This will be followed by a retrospective digital video collection later this year.

In mid-March, Air commences a tour in Europe, followed by U.S. shows in April and May, including a date at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif.

"We're looking forward to getting on the road again," Godin says. "We want to see what our fans are up to."

Reuters/Billboard