If you’re reading this, we’ll assume you’re at least aware of the exceptional music in Air’s back catalogue, but how deep have you swam into their eclectic discography?
First formed after meeting at architectural college in Versailles, Jean-Benoît Dunckel and Nicolas Godin’s instant musical connection resulted in one of the most essential – and timeless – debut records of the late 1990s.
The magnificent Moon Safari remains an essential purchase for those taking their first dip into electronic music – or for anyone just in the market for a stone cold classic album.
But though Moon Safari is rightfully acclaimed, there’s far more to Air than just those ten tracks.
Across a further five studio albums, a pair of exquisite soundtrack records and a number of collaborations, Godin and Dunckel’s sonic universe expanded outwards – and led to some of the most extraordinary, and genre-flitting, music of the early 21st century.
Here then, are the tracks that I consider to be essential to any expertly-curated Air playlist.
It’s a selection of lesser-known cuts that have that best demonstrate Air’s particular magic. They’re tracks that you really shouldn’t overlook.
We’re not including any of the band’s biggest singles or well known cuts here – nor are we going to include anything from Moon Safari.
So take a big inhale – we’re swimming out to the deep end…
1. The sun is near me (first symptoms, 1997)
Having a tough day? This early example of Air’s serene alchemy will soon slow your heart-rate.
With a title that translates as’ The sun is near me’, this divine piece actually pre-dates Moon Safari, appearing on Air’s debut EP; 1997s Premiers Symptômes.
Its haunting vocoded vocal, shards of synth-string and gentle, warm bass enmesh into a tranquil lull – laying out a peaceful foundation that triggers the listener to take a breath.
The vibe of this gorgeous track anticipated the aural mood of the upcoming Moon Safari. It was later cited by Godin as one of the strongest pieces in the catalogue. He told Q magazine that “It’s the best song we ever did. It proves the best that you do isn’t always the most successful.”
2. The Vagabond (10 000 Hz Legend, 2001)
That genre-fluidity we mentioned earlier is on full display here as Air enlist Beck to provide lead vocals on this standout from their second album, 10 000Hz Legend.
A swing away from the more sedate aesthetic of the bulk of their work to date, The Vagabond’s arrangement was assembled from acoustic guitar, harmonica and the aforementioned Beck delivering a lyric of restless, rootless abandon.
Beck’s characteristic vocal marries perfectly with Air’s musical palette, as otherworldly sounds (fluttering synths and a morass of unhinged backing vocals) gradually emerge and sweep across the soundstage, morphing the song from its folksy starting point into an entirely alien domain before your very ears.
This metamorphosis sonically aligns with the track’s image of a wanderer, questing across new frontiers.
3. Sex Born Poison (10 000 Hz Legend, 2001)
In this writer’s opinion, Sex Born Poison is the high watermark of the criminally underloved 10,000Hz Legend.
The morose, eerie mood of its delicate acoustic guitar intro casts an unnerving shadow, with upfront, double-tracked vocals spelling out a lyric driven of intensity and obsession.
Its unexpected swing into a Japanese-language mid-section drags the listener out from the gloom into a desperate landscape, before eventually lurching upwards into its hugely cinematic outro via an ascending, laddering keyboard pattern.
From its creepy beginnings, Sex Born Poison develops into a finale akin to a tidal wave washing over the listener. It’s an incredible arrangement.
We adore those crunchy beats too.
4. How Does It Make You Feel? (10 000 Hz Legend, 2001)
Released as the little-heard third single from 10 000Hz Legend, this overlooked Air classic was nevertheless an odd choice to be a single – dominated as it is by a heavily-processed, robotic voice, reciting an emotionless affirmation of love and protection.
The unsettling nature of the robotic voice is balanced out by a truly captivating musical bed, with an exquisite chord sequence and anchoring bass-part.
The tension of this uneasy combination is evaporated by the euphoric release of the chorus wherein the Air boys melodically sing the song’s title.
An inspired – and unique – take on love over distance, for us, it’s the final line’s perspective-shifting female voice response (we won’t spoil it here) that sticks with us longest.
5. Bathroom Girl (The Virgin Suicides soundtrack, 2000)
A blissful, organ-dominated piece from the duo’s sublime 2000 soundtrack for Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides. The dreamy Bathroom Girl’s organ lays out the foundation of the arrangement, before synth strings bleed into the mix. Suddenly, a pulsing, almost glam-rock like guitar appears, flanked by bass and drums.
It’s a weirdly nostalgic, melodramatic but ultimately triumphant-feeling piece of music.
Although Air aren’t known for colourful and brash lead guitar lines, the effectiveness of Godin’s lead tone here make us wish that more in the band’s canon leaned into this vibe. It’s a short but effective slice of brilliance.
6. Another Day (Talkie Walkie, 2004)
A blinding cut from what many consider to be the band’s other masterpiece – their third record Talkie Walkie from 2004.
With throbbing bass, gentle waves of acoustic guitar and a spoky two-note motif, the alluring but cautious-sounding music of Another Day houses a lyric – delivered a word at a time – that is resigned to the fleeting, transient nature of time.
It’s a soul-touching meditation on letting go of the now, and being at one with the inevitability of the passage of time.
It sits right up there with the best-ever Air songs.
7. Run (Talkie Walkie, 2004)
Another entry in the under-loved single category, Run is yet another Talkie Walkie highpoint.
Though a more stripped-back arrangement, Run’s pitch-shifted lead vocal – and its occasional sampled repetition – implies yet another lovelorn robot. But the initially tense, electronic piece, painted with shuddering synth stabs and twinkling discordant sparkles, shifts into quite the most unexpectedly beautiful second section.
During this second section, the sampled vocals are repeated atop an ethereal, heavenly choral backing.
An aural collision of science and soul, this intoxicating mediation on heartbreak is served up in a manner that only Air could conceive of.
8. Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping (Pocket Symphony, 2007)
This stately gem, from 2007’s Pocket Symphony finds Air adopt a more conventional musical poise, as the Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon tenderly delivers a dreamy evocation of an inner mental peace.
The elegant strings, acoustic guitar and piano underlines the parent record’s more musically grounded approach.
Produced by Nigel Godrich, Pocket Symphony saw the band retreat from the more avant garde experimentalism of their previous work (much to the chagrin of some listeners) but in its best moments, such as this track, Air plainly spotlighted their musical abilities.
The first album to be helmed at the band’s own Studio Atlas in Northern Paris, fifth studio album, Love 2 found the pair exploring – you guessed it – the concept of love in all its varying forms.
Released as a single from the record, So Light Is Her Footfall is powered by its subtle groove, sharp guitar lines that tear across each verse, some enrapturing pads and a plethora of electronic garnishes. This gliding arrangement supports a lyric that paints an image of a spectral, unobtainable figure of desire.
Its close-mic’d, whispered vocal and spaced-out instrumentalism indicated a stunning return to Air’s recognisable sonic hallmarks.
As with its subject matter, So Light Is Her Footfall is a bewitching piece that begs for repeated listens.
10. Tropical Disease
We’ve little hesitation putting Tropical Disease in our highest tier of Air tracks.
Beginning with some plaintive sax, angelic harp-type plucks and evaporating synths, Tropical Disease kicks into gear with a spritely but nagging bassline, wedded to a tight and infectious beat. All the while, spiralling piano cascades atop the mix.
As it rolls on, further – and unexpected – instrumental colour fades into view.
Most notable is the memorable recorder-sounding flute which picks out a mocking, child-like motif across the middle section.
Tropical Disease contorts into a range of surprising shapes with devastating, jazzy sax, processed, broken vocals and squalls of wah-wah guitar.
Frequently peppered with moments of genuine genius, the overall effect is a track that summarises Air’s musical might perfectly.
