Photo Credit: Claude Gassien

Air New Album Details Announced
By Astralwerks

Following their 800,000 selling album Talkie Walkie (2004), AIR are set to return with their new album Pocket Symphony to be released on March 6, 2007. The album - made up of 12 songs that were recorded over the last 18 months and produced by longtime partner Nigel Godrich - features vocals by Dunckel and Godin themselves, but also from Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon (Divine Comedy).

AIR, without repeating themselves, once again achieve that rare supernova of artistic vision that dares to reconcile palpable, unapologetic ambience with unpretentious soulful simplicity. They create the alternate now, an environment that begs escapism without denying humanity.

While conventional instruments continue to play a great role, AIR have fashioned several tracks from the new album with the unexpected addition of Far East classical instruments which Godin learnt to play from an Okinawa master - namely the Koto (usually referred to as a Japanese floor harp) and the shamisen, a 3-stringed instrument which is one of Japan’s most popular classical instruments & resembles the banjo. Working their way throughout the album as musical ricochets, these sounds add another motif to AIR’s sonic architecture. Pocket Symphony shows a band very much on a forward path and smashing expectations.

Brought by the band into the visual creative process of the album artwork is contemporary artist Xavier Veilhan. Veilhan who, just like AIR, is both fascinated by the possibilities afforded by modern technology, and inspired by the conventional forms of 'classical' art, revisits and ‘models’ reality using modern media (photography, 3D scanning anddigital imagery).

A first run of European tour dates is set to happen from Mid March and will be followed by shows in the US at the beginning of May. Down the line, AIR will play at major festivals both in Europe and Japan in the summer. The band will then keep touring into the fall and toward December 2007.

For more information visit : www.astralwerks.com