bite my shiny plastic record collection
air - the vagabond (mp3)
now kev, i am right aren't i in saying that the general consensus puts '10,000 Hz legend' just ahead of 'talkie walkie' as air's biggest joke of a body of work?
despite the disgusting popularity, i don't think that with the decidedly un-easy listening '10,000 Hz legend' nicolas and jean-benoît ever had any intention of pulling another 'moon safari' out from their tightly-trousered french nether-regions, and that it had your average our price patron scratching their head wasn't at all surpising, but i've never understood why the more *ahem* discerning listeners even now still refer to it as "the shit one". my purchasing just last week of a lovely double vinyl copy reminded me not only of how you are all just wrong, but also that you've missed out on gems like this little collaboration with beck.
'the vagabond' is tinged with sea change melancholy, the album beck released the following year (which was also produced by nigel godrich), and manages quite nicely to sound both unmistakably beck whilst at the same time oh so very distinctly air.
even on its release i thought everyone was a little too quick in dismissing '10,000 Hz legend', but now, especially in these much more prog/psych-friendly times, i cannot urge you enough to give it another listen ('don't be light' is awesome). in fact it's such an unashamedly psych album that for my money it has much more in common with the likes of serge's 'histoire de melody nelson' than any mere near-note-perfect homage.*
now, where did i put my rhyming becktionary?
* and yes, having just bought said album does make me an expert all of a sudden!
now kev, i am right aren't i in saying that the general consensus puts '10,000 Hz legend' just ahead of 'talkie walkie' as air's biggest joke of a body of work?
despite the disgusting popularity, i don't think that with the decidedly un-easy listening '10,000 Hz legend' nicolas and jean-benoît ever had any intention of pulling another 'moon safari' out from their tightly-trousered french nether-regions, and that it had your average our price patron scratching their head wasn't at all surpising, but i've never understood why the more *ahem* discerning listeners even now still refer to it as "the shit one". my purchasing just last week of a lovely double vinyl copy reminded me not only of how you are all just wrong, but also that you've missed out on gems like this little collaboration with beck.
'the vagabond' is tinged with sea change melancholy, the album beck released the following year (which was also produced by nigel godrich), and manages quite nicely to sound both unmistakably beck whilst at the same time oh so very distinctly air.
even on its release i thought everyone was a little too quick in dismissing '10,000 Hz legend', but now, especially in these much more prog/psych-friendly times, i cannot urge you enough to give it another listen ('don't be light' is awesome). in fact it's such an unashamedly psych album that for my money it has much more in common with the likes of serge's 'histoire de melody nelson' than any mere near-note-perfect homage.*
now, where did i put my rhyming becktionary?
* and yes, having just bought said album does make me an expert all of a sudden!