Trust the French to make something so intensely enjoyable out of something that is, apparently, so featherlight.
Academic duo Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel formed Air in 1995, inspired by the more rarefied aspects of prog rock and the wistful side of psychedelia.
Fusing these influences with the accessibility of smooth Europop generated albums as groovy as 1998’s Moon Safari and film soundtracks as sleek and spooky as that for 1999’s Virgin Suicides (directed by Sofia Coppola).
The duo’s first anthology (across three discs) covers the basics (Sexy Boy, Playground Love, Alone in Kyoto, Cherry Blossom Girl) fan-bait rarities such as Au fond du rêve Doré, featuring Françoise Hardy, and Air remixes for the likes of Beck, David Bowie and MGMT.
Fantastique? Absolument. Rêveur? Oui.
