904. Air - The Virgin Suicides (2000)

Track Listing

1. Playground Love (With Gordon Tracks)
2. Clouds Up
3. Bathroom Girl
4. Cemetary Party
5. Dark Messages
6. The Word Hurricane
7. Dirty Trip
8. Highschool Lover
9. Afternoon Sister
10. Ghost Song
11. Empty House
12. Dead Bodies
13. Suicide Underground

Review

There are four Lisbon girls in the room next to mine, but fortunately none of them has or plans on committing suicide... however, if they were to listen to this album on repeat they might consider it.

This is definitely not to say that it is a bad album, in fact it is a pretty fantastic album... only it is appropriate to the film where it featured. There is a constant strain of melancholy and distress running through it.

This contrasts interestingly with the much more up-beat Moon Safari. The album is beautiful and distressing, at times it is not pleasant to listen to but it never stops being beautiful, keeping the very Air interest in Retro sound and feel. A great album perfectly suited to its purpose but not constrained to it, a pleasure to listen to.

Track Highlights

1. Playground Love
2. Highschool Lover
3. Suicide Undeground
4. Bathroom Girl

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Although credited in the album liner as Gordon Tracks, vocals on "Playground Love" are provided by Phoenix singer Thomas Mars.

Playground Love: