The Air France thread

I picked up the second EP on a whim when I was in Stockholm in August, without having heard any of it, and have to share the general love. One of the best things i brought home with me, and one of my favourites of the year. The assistant in the shop also recommended "Yearbook One" by Studio, have been enjoying that too. And the Familjen album.

sanfrandisco email me gr8080 @ gmail

I'm still not quite feeling the rapturous love other people are feeling for it, but I like it more if I treat it as ambient rather than as pop, there's a big hole in the middle otherwise. The Field is the best comparison anyone's made on this thread, but it's better than The Field due to to being unconnected to house music. My problem with the Field was feeling they should be easier to dance to, I don't get that here.

Air France don't really feel Balearic to me, the sound is too monochrome for that, it's more city wistfulness on a grey day than anything else. Despite what I said in the previous paragraph, the music this evokes in me, more than anything is Michael Mayer in Amanda/Lovefood mode. That sort of swirling together of evocative sounds, breathy female vocals, the poignancy of going through a major transport hub, on a rainy weekday, when you're heading home after staying out all night.

(I'm specifically referring to On Trade Winds there, the first EP is much more colourful).

Argh I mean No Way Down, not On Trade Winds.

This sounds like that synthie indie pop from the late 80s early 90s ... and this music happens to be ... synthie indie pop. Case closed.

Who knows how the hell the Field even got into this discussion. Saint Etienne anyone?

i don't know about The Field, either, but when i met Joel ('Yole') from AF he literally said, 'St. Etienne are seriously the best band ever.'

totally surprising

yeah, Tiger Bay was the first thing that sprang to mind when I listened to this

I like to think that Air France and The Tough Alliance split the first three Saint Etienne albums between them, with Air France taking "London Belongs To Me", "Avenue", "Railway Jam" and "On The Shore" and The Tough Alliance taking "He's On The Phone", "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", "Pale Movie" and "Join Our Club".

Finally found The Boat Club's Caught The Breeze album. Magical! They must be the smoothest of these Swedes. Recorded on their Moping Yacht at Dusk.

mini-album, that is.

when are we going to get a proper album from these gents ?

i do enjoy a well-rounded ep though, especially with mopey-twee stuff. i certainly don't remember the field mice because of their full length, yknow?

that being said, another ep from these guys would be lovely as well

finally got round to this and am not feeling it at all...too twee :(

I'm with this guy. I love my Saint Etienne records, but not feeling this much.

I haven’t played it too many times but I’m still enjoying this.

I want an new EP !

i want remixes

From today's interview with Pfork:

Pitchfork: What's next for you?

AF: Right now we're working on the extras for the deluxe edition of No Way Down. We are recording commentary tracks for the songs, where we take the listener through our emotions and little anectodes about the recording process. Then, hopefully, we'll sort out all our ideas and put together an album. And we've made so many friends around the world this year, so we'd like to visit them, too-- see new places, new beaches.

We are recording commentary tracks for the songs, where we take the listener through our emotions and little anectodes about the recording process.

i love this idea

Do not want.

sounds almost as bad as when hardcore bands include explanations along with their lyrics.

yeah how bout we skip that and go straight to an album plz

If we just went ahead and made 4-track CDs standard, with track faders instead of an EQ on your stereo, then interesting people could hear it if they wanted and the rest of you pissy killjoys wouldn't have to.

yeah sod commentaries tho, give us individual tracks from the music to mess around with for personal pleasure

Well - either way!

how about a few bonus comedy sketches

did ya hear the one about childhood?

its innocence can only ever be approximated, as through a sepia-tinged, melancholic facsimile!

*armpit fart*

sounds lame to me, like director's commentary on DVDs

just give me more MUSIC

kind of like a dream, no WORSE - am i right guys?

1) directors commentaries are often rad 2) this is a fun and hilarious idea 3) f u

lolll slocks

Just reading through this thread for the first time, and although I like Air France, Boat Club are even better. Thanks for the tip.

dear max,

i think it's cool that you have the time to watch a movie and then watch it a whole second time without any audio just to hear the director comment on his own film so that the DVD companies can have a special features tab on the menu.

love your biggest admirer

also this vvvv

i want remixes

― gr8080

i actually have no problem with this but i do wish they'd do an album and not, you know, an EPK

this thread made me remember some tracks of "color filter" on "i often think in music" , i refreshed my memory with a listen online at
http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=113829&highlight=113841
what do y'all think?
back then i had so many favorites, jumping from "give this a whirl" to "fearless" to etc really
maybe it's a bit too eager or crisp or naive (or what?) for being of now tho

I'm at work so can't listen but it's always good to see you here, Sébastien

yeah how bout we skip that and go straight to an album plz

i actually have no problem with this but i do wish they'd do an album and not, you know, an EPK

when i met joel, he didn't know if they would do an album. they like the EP format, i guess.. i should really transcribe that thing one day..

Yeah I don't know if I could handle a whole album of Air France. They're almost too pretty and gorgeous to that much of at once.

to TAKE that much of

yeah i said it, pretty AND gorgeous

take pretty much gorgeous EP

you don't have to listen to the album from start to end tho :)

also this vvvv

i want remixes

they have remixed 'skeleton boy' by friendly fires. it's pretty.

has anyone heard this? http://www.sincerelyyours.se/yours0103.php

Yes I have - very promising.

New Air France song - with someone called Roos. Available as part of this rather sweet site they've put out to celebrate Midsommer in Gothenburg...

http://www.gbgbelongstous.se/