Roughly two decades ago, the French duo Air hit a universally agreeable note with its semi-electronic semi-organic, all lush, dreamy, fluttery pop. The two mark this feat with their first anthology, aptly titled Twentyears, which stretches over a double-CD plus 16-page booklet and/or double-gatefold vinyl.
The first disc collects 17 perennial familiar Air favorites, such as the bombastic love song dedicated to Charlie’s Angels’ Jaclyn Smith, “Kelly Watch The Stars,” The Virgin Suicides seducer, “Playground Love,” the spine-tingling “All I Need,” and the license-friendly minimal instrumental “Alone In Kyoto.” The second disc features 14 pieces of unreleased music, B-sides, live performances, and rarities from a variety of sources, not available on the vinyl version. These include soundtrack-only songs such as the Western-tinged “Roger Song” from the documentary Corman’s World and the brass-driven, moody “Adis Abebah” from the film Quartier Lointain.
Following Twentyears’ initial release will be a limited edition deluxe version that includes Air’s singular remixes, including ones for Depeche Mode’s “Home,” David Bowie’s “A Better Future,” Beck’s “Heaven Hammer,” and MGMT’s “It’s Working.” This version also includes colored vinyl and a poster. Even if you have the full Air discography, it’s still worth adding Twentyears with its unique features to your collection.
