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1. Space Maker	Listen
2. Once Upon A Time	Listen
3. One Hell Of A Party	Listen
4. Napalm Love	Listen
5. Mayfair Song	Listen
6. Left Bank	Listen
7. Photograph	Listen
8. Mer Du Japan	Listen
9. Lost Message	Listen
10. Somewhere Between Walking And Sleeping	Listen
11. Redhead Girl	Listen
12. Night Sight	Listen

Amazon.co.uk Review
Truthfully it's been some time since Air's Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunkel could truthfully be said to be pop musicians, but their fourth album Pocket Symphony journeys further from the pop firmament than ever before. Slow, stately songs built around the tick of electronic drums, the trill of vintage synthesisers, and somewhat unexpectedly, some traditional Japanese instruments – the koto, a Japanese floor harp, and the banjo-like shamisen – it's an album apparently more concerned with texture and mood than crafting catchy pop fromage.

Certainly, it often does it well: 'Mayfair Song' locks into a dazed, lightly cosmic groove oddly reminiscent of Talk Talk circa Spirit Of Eden, all purposeful piano and moody, drifting bass, while the blissful 'Photograph' sees angelic vocals submerged within a tide of shimmering strings and trilling chimes. For the most part, vocals are fairly sparse, but there are two guest spots: the first from Jarvis Cocker, who murmurs like Scott Walker with a sore head through 'Hell Of A Party', and the second from The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon, who invests 'Somewhere Between Waking And Sleeping' with an impressive melancholy soul. At first, it sounds slight, but carry Pocket Symphony with you, and feel it slowly work its magic. –-Louis Pattison

20 Reviews 5 star:  (8) 4 star:  (5) 3 star:  (3) 2 star:  (2) 1 star:  (2)           Average Customer Review (20 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   11 of 12 people found the following review helpful: In my pocket, 17 Mar 2007 By  E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews       Air can be relied on to stick to a signature sound -- lush and dreamlike -- and still be able to wedge in a bit of new material. In the case of "Pocket Symphony," they stick pretty much to the same formula as their previous release, "Talkie Walkie" -- sweet, slightly symphonic electropop that sounds like something to dream to Yeah, same ol'. Yet somehow that does't interfere with the enjoyability of this pretty, satiny music. It opens with a hollow tapping and a soft acoustic riff melted into a piano melody. By the time the soft waves of synth kick in, the little melody is quietly hypnotic, as it expands into a shimmering little piano-synth epic... only to coil back up into its piano melody and hollow drumming. That's "Space Maker," and it's only the warmup for the remaining songs. Air trips softly through a series of songs that are mainly gentle electropop, but with a few classical flourishes sprinkled throughout it. Piano, strings and a bit of horn all make their way into the music. And they manage a few odd twists, which break the music out of its somnolent sound, and keep it from sounding monotonous -- rippling piano laced with twinkly synth, twisty synthpop, glitchy balladry, and an acoustic ballad or two with some soft keyboard. They even have the spare, twangy Asian-inspired sound of "One Hell of a Party." Basically, "Pocket Symphony" has Air's trademark sound, which hasn't change substantially since the less soothing electronics of "10,000hz Legend," but they can spice it up with some unexpected twists and new sounds. Not a huge surprise, but very beautiful and soothing nonetheless. The music itself is a shimmering weave of instrumentation and synth. The latter is pretty flexible, providing some ragged glitches, smooth waves, twiddles and twinkles. And it's wrapped around like a satin blanket over the soft guitar, a dash of horns and bells, and a sweep of soft strings just under the synth. Not to mention that brilliant piano -- it can jab and ripple through the music. And the musicians have gained some new skills as well. Apparently Nicolas Godin learned to play some Japanese instruments, the koto and the shamisen, which add an exotic, angular edge to the smooth melodies. "Pocket Symphony" doesn't go many new places, but it upholds Air's reputation for smooth, sophisticated electropop with the odd little moment of experimentation. Definitely a good listen.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: Great ideas, 18 April 2007 By  Douglas Miller "practical psychologist" (Pezenas, France) - See all my reviews    Air have a sound and a style that is their own but part of their appeal is that their references are explicit. This album is no exception. This a true return to form and their best since the soundtrack to Virgin Suicides. Some of their ideas on the previous two albums were interesting and just didn't work but this time round they have created a real 'whole'. The two standout tracks for me are: 1. 'Somewhere Between Walking and Sleeping' - a terrific (and perhaps intentional) pastiche of Spirit in their 12 Dreams of Dr Sardonicus era. Given their well-publisized reference points this could well have been what they were doing. 2. 'Mer Du Japon' - stylistically close to Suicides and creates a great mood change when the album might be in danger of drift. In a way it does Air a disservice to cite influences when they are such a unique group with their own sound. This is an album of the highest class and I highly recommend it.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you?