Air lacks substance

Before diving into Air's latest album, Pocket Symphony, I should disclose a bit about my aesthetic biases. I tend to prize emotional release over technique -- or, more precisely, I prize music's ability to trigger a raw cathartic reaction rather than such intellectual bases as complexity or musicianship. Thus, I will always value hooks and big choruses over texture or sophistication -- I will, for example, always favor the early Beatles, to which I'll sing along, over their mature late-career work. \nThis matters because where you fall on this spectrum between gut and brain will determine your reaction to Symphony. This album is a melodic, elegant, meticulously constructed piece of work showing a great depth of thought and technical skill. And it's also, to a large extent, boring as hell.\nAir has always seemed a bit chilly for my tastes, but the pop pull was unavoidable on the best moments of their last album, 2004's Talkie Walkie. With Symphony, however, they dial things back to a more meditative, downcast tone -- there's no "Cherry Blossom Girl" or "Surfing On A Rocket" here. Instead, Symphony's best moments are those heartbreak ballads where the humanity escapes Air's crystalline production -- the twee (but charming) "Once Upon A Time" with its cascading keyboard run and gentle vocal hook; the stripped-down piano ballad "One Hell Of A Party," with great vocals from former Pulp front man Jarvis Cocker; and "Napalm Love," whose assorted elements build a mysterious sense of unease. And, OK, I have to bow before the technical majesty of "Mer Du Japon," which manages to be exciting despite being largely abstract (and taking a break in the middle for the crashing of waves).\nHowever, the rest, while pretty, makes for a fairly effective tranquilizer -- most notably the meandering instrumentals "Space Maker," "Mayfair Song," "Lost Message" and "Night Sight," which, with their use of reverb, washes and ambient hums, sound like parts of a Vangelis movie soundtrack. (Not to disparage Vangelis -- they've done good work -- but I find these tracks rather dull without actors, dialogue, cinematography and whatnot.) Likewise, "Left Bank," "Photograph," "Somewhere Between Waking And Sleeping" and "Redhead Girl," despite their vocals, are too uniformly subdued and distant to stir my soul (or whatever we music critics have).\nBut if you're currently grumbling about my lack of knowledge of musical theory (you're right) -- you might want to check it out.