SONG OF THE DAY
“Kelly Watch The Stars!” by Air (Moon Safari, Virgin Records, Astralwerks, 1998). Written by Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel.
INTERESTING FACTS (a la wikipedia)
– Moon Safari is the first full-length studio album by the French band Air, released.
– The album is considered a classic of the chill genre.
– It is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
– It scored hits with the tracks “Sexy Boy” (featured in the film 10 Things I Hate About You), “Kelly Watch the Stars!” and “All I Need” (which features vocals by Beth Hirsch).
– Moon Safari debuted at #6 in the UK album charts mainly due to almost universally glowing reviews by the British music press and the success of the single “Sexy Boy”.
– On April 14, 2008 Virgin Records released a reissue of Moon Safari to mark the album’s 10-year anniversary. The limited edition album came with a bound book, a DVD documentary about the duo and an extra CD with live performances and remixes.
– Moon Safari is an eclectic mix of synth-pop, acoustic guitars and string arrangements. The tone ranges from retro tracks, such as “Kelly Watch the Stars!”, “Sexy Boy” and “Remember” to laid-back ballads, such as “Ce matin là ” (featured on the soundtrack to the film The Virgin Suicides) and the tracks featuring Beth Hirsch. Much of the album has a detached, hypnotic, retro feel. Also of note is the plethora of instruments used by Godin and Dunckel, such as Moog synthesizers and vocoders.
– Nicolas Godin studied architecture at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Versailles & Jean-Benoît Dunckel studied mathematics before they formed the band in 1995.
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– Air have often collaborated with American film director Sofia Coppola. They composed the music to her debut film The Virgin Suicides. Air drummer and former Redd Kross member Brian Reitzell put together the soundtrack to Lost in Translation including one original contribution by Air titled “Alone In Kyoto”. The soundtrack for Coppola’s film Marie Antoinette features a track by Air.
– City Reading (2003) started as an idea for a collaboration with contemporary Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, known for his unusual characterizations and lyrical, poetic style. Baricco contacted Air in summer 2002 with the idea to marry narration of texts from his book City with live original musical accompaniment. The performance premiered live in November 2002 at Rome’s Teatro Valle, and was deemed such a success that both parties resolved to make a full studio recording that resulted in the album City Reading: Tre Storie Western.
– Air wrote and played the music of the album 5:55 by French actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, which was released in August 2006.