Would you believe me if I said there was an album just recently released from one of the members from Air? Well, believe it because that’s what we have from Jean-Benoit Dunckel – one half of the duo that comprises Air. I actually had no clue about this release at all, so thanks to Torr for the heads up. Released under the name of Darkel just last month, you wonder if the use of this name was to avoid anyone knowing who was making the music. Not that it’s bad, but it’s very different than what you’d expect from the french duo, which is the whole idea of releasing a solo album I guess.
Listening to the first track “Be My Friend” off the self-titled album, it’s one of the only songs that comes closest to anything we’ve become accustomed to with Air. It’s seductive with it’s fuzzy bass lines and moody ambience. What’s interesting about the rest of what i’ve heard is the inclusion of Jean-Benoit’s vocals which I assume is in all of the songs here, and the fact that a lot of these are straight-up pop songs. The music sometimes reaches twee-pop territory which is almost scary. It relies a little too much on the melodies and hooks of his vocals, as some of it is almost cringe-worthy – even for me. A lot of what I loved about Air was how the focus was on the sounds and not so much vocals, and those few tracks that contained vocals would play off of the music. This seems to be the complete opposite, whether that’s good or bad – it’s up to you.
Darkel may not be the best music i’ve heard, but it should satisfy hardcore fans of Air. So for those fans you would be wise to check this one out. Check out his myspace page for more tracks and if you purchase the album on Itunes it comes with an exclusive non-album bonus track “Bunny Girl”. Does anyone know of Nicolas Godin releasing any solo work?
Darkel | “Be My Friend”
Darkel | “At The End Of The Sky”
Darkel | “TV Destroy”
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I was sooooo disappointed by this album.
yeah, me too actually
I just didn’t know how else to put my dislike.
Me neither – hence my pithy reply.
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