Pocket Symphony
2007 studio album by Air
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Pocket Symphony is the fourth studio album by French electronic music duo Air, released on 5 March 2007 by Virgin Records. It features collaborations with Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon.[12] Pocket Symphony incorporates some of the Japanese instruments Godin had recently learned to play from an Okinawan master musician: the koto (also referred to as a Japanese floor harp) and the three-string, banjo-like shamisen. However, a press release claims that "conventional instruments continue to play a great role" in the duo's music.[13] The album features art by Xavier Veilhan.
| Pocket Symphony | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 5 March 2007 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:47 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Air chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Pocket Symphony | ||||
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 63/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The A.V. Club | A−[3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+[4] |
| The Guardian | [5] |
| The Irish Times | [6] |
| Mojo | [7] |
| NME | 2/10[8] |
| Pitchfork | 6.6/10[9] |
| Spin | [10] |
| Uncut | [11] |
Pocket Symphony debuted at number 40 on the US Billboard 200, with 17,000 copies sold in its first week.[14] As of February 2012, it had sold 77,000 copies in the United States.[15]
The term "pocket symphony" was popularised by English journalist Derek Taylor, who used it to describe the Beach Boys' 1966 single "Good Vibrations".
Track listing
All tracks are written by JB Dunckel and Nicolas Godin, except "One Hell of a Party", lyrics by Jarvis Cocker, and "Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping", lyrics by Neil Hannon and Cocker.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Space Maker" | 4:01 |
| 2. | "Once Upon a Time" | 5:01 |
| 3. | "One Hell of a Party" | 4:02 |
| 4. | "Napalm Love" | 3:27 |
| 5. | "Mayfair Song" | 4:19 |
| 6. | "Left Bank" | 4:06 |
| 7. | "Photograph" | 3:51 |
| 8. | "Mer du Japon" | 3:04 |
| 9. | "Lost Message" | 3:32 |
| 10. | "Somewhere Between Waking and Sleeping" | 3:36 |
| 11. | "Redhead Girl" | 4:31 |
| 12. | "Night Sight" | 4:17 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Time Capsule" | 4:19 |
| 14. | "The Duelist" (featuring Jarvis Cocker and Charlotte Gainsbourg) | 4:40 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Time Capsule" | 4:19 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "The Duelist" (featuring Jarvis Cocker and Charlotte Gainsbourg) | 4:40 |
| 14. | "Crickets" (originally not available in the United States[18]) | 3:32 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Pocket Symphony.[19]
Air
- Nicolas Godin – bass (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 7–9, 11); solina (track 1); guitars (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6–11); synth bass (track 2); drum machine (tracks 2, 4, 5, 9); shamisen (tracks 2, 3); piano (track 3); koto (tracks 3, 8–11); synthesizers (track 5); vocals (track 6); glockenspiel (tracks 7, 11); tambourine (tracks 7, 8); drums (track 8); Memorymoog (tracks 9, 11); wind chimes (track 11)
- JB Dunckel – piano (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7–11); synthesizers (tracks 1–9, 11, 12); vibraphone (tracks 1, 10); vocals (tracks 2, 4, 6–8, 11); glockenspiel (track 2); samples (track 3); ARP percussions, xylophone (track 5); voice pad (tracks 5, 11); drum machine (tracks 6); Rhodes (tracks 7, 11, 12); synth bass (track 10)
Additional musicians
- Joey Waronker – drums, percussion (tracks 1, 3, 7)
- Magic Malik – flute (tracks 2, 7)
- Tony Allen – drums (track 2)
- Jarvis Cocker – vocals (track 3)
- Neil Hannon – vocals (track 10)
- Joby Talbot – string arrangements, string conducting (tracks 1, 12)
- David Richard Campbell – string arrangements (track 10)
Technical
- Nigel Godrich – production, engineering
- Air – production
- Darrell Thorp – engineering
- Florian Lagatta – engineering
- Simon Hayes – engineering assistance
- Andrew Rugg – engineering assistance
- Bob Ludwig – mastering at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine)
Artwork
- Xavier Veilhan – artwork
- Lili Fleury – artwork
- Laurent Pinon – artwork
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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