Air - Love 2 (2009)

(Electronica, Downtempo, Ambient, Trip Hop, Chill Out)

Love 2 is the sixth album by the French duo Air. I grew up on Air. Literally. I love these guys. Their ability to create sonic landscapes to just... relax to is incredible. But that's not entirely present on this disc. There are a few songs that are still capable of giving you the desired "Air effect." For example, the second song, Love, is pure unbridled Air. It has the ability to get you to close your eyes and drift across a land of... well, love! It's beautiful, and repetitive, but if you know Air, repetitive works! Sing Sang Sung, the ninth track is a very nice track as well, which, after a few listens, you'll be able to sing along nicely to. It's a very... French record.

And then there's the rest of the album. It's a little poppier than their previous works. And this is partly why I'm having trouble with this record. It's good... but not for Air. On normal occasions I would give this maybe a high 8/10, but I'm going to give this one a 6/10. The Air is just not there, fully. Comparing it to classic albums such as Moon Safari or Talkie Walkie, it doesn't hold it's weight. There are definitely a few jems in here though, and any fan of Air should grab this. It may not be their best work, but it's still, at the least, worth listening to.

Listen to Sing Sang Sung:

Sing Sang Sung - Air

Infected Mushroom - Legend of the Black Shawarma (2009)

(Psychedelic Rock, Psychedelic Trance, Trip Hop)

A good friend of mine introduced me to Infected Mushroom yesterday, and I've given their latest album a few listens to come to a conclusion of whether I like them or not. For now, I give this album a solid 6.5/10 simply because, although it is rather enjoyable, it doesn't sound altogether fresh to me. Despite not sounding as fresh as I may have wanted, though, it falls under a "genre" title I've yet to encounter before (and I've encountered a few): psychedelic trance/rock. So! If you find that genre appealing to your sensibilities, go for it. It won't disappoint, or rather, it shouldn't. And if you've never heard of the genre or thought to combine the two, psychedelic and trance, genres together, I've posted my favorite song on the album below. Ultimately, I'd say they sound like a tranced up Depeche Mode, though, and not so much psychedelic, but more... trip-hoppy. In one song they do feature Jonathan Davis (Korn) on vocals, which interestingly doesn't sound too far off from the actual singers voice, but I'm sure any avid Korn fan out there would in some way or another geek out to his cameo.

The song I've chosen (below), is a good example of the merging genres. There's a great trance buildup near the middle of the song in which I love, and should definitely get those fists pumping.

(Another song very worth mentioning from this album is the great remix of the song Riders on the Storm, orginally by the Doors)

Saeed - Infected Mushroom