Customer Reviews

Darkel

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Contrary to other reviews, I believe this album has a lot in common with bit and pieces of other Air albums. The main difference is that these songs are either a bit more aggresive, synth-wise or catchier and more upbeat. "Be My Friend" is sooo dark and powerfull(best track imo). If you've lost a parent "How Brave You Are" may make you cry. Your wife or GF will feel honored with "Beautiful Woman", or if you're if single "My Own Sun" might be your thing, and "At the End of the Sky" is pure pop sugar. I could do without "TV Destroy" and "Earth". but they round out this great recording with great replay value.

I agree with the editorial review about the vocals for the most part, but I would not go as far as to say it would remain in the dark without Air.

The vocals are fine if you just listen to one or two songs at a time, but when listening to the whole album they tend to make every song seem similar. In reality, when you listen to what else is going on in each song the album is pretty diverse. The harmonies, chords, bassline, and just general sounds are very cool. These alone make it at least 4 stars. As for the vocals, varying it up with more lower pitched vocals (maybe from someone else) or drastically different synthetic effects would have helped.

The rest of this is not really a review of this album, but Air and Darkel in general: I have long been hoping for a kind of mix of classical-minimalist, rock, and electronic music. These definitely deliver that. More specifically, I was happy to read Darkel was influenced by Philip Glass (the hours, soundtrack to Truman Show, 1000 airplanes on the roof,..etc..), and you can definitely hear it in Albums by these artists. Most Notably, I would recommend listening to "run" on the Air Talkie Walkie album to hear the minimalist influence.

Well, even as Air moved away from 70s psychedelic rock after _10,000 Hz Legend_, Jean-Benoît Dunckel couldn't abandon that part of him entirely, so it reappears under his solo moniker, Darkel. His self-titled debut is cheery enough, a little slice of Gallic pop. "At the End of the Sky" sounds like something from the Summer of Love, and even if you can't quite understand the lyrics of "TV Destroy," you can appreciate the breathy percussion and rocking propulsiveness. There seems to be a strain of American blues in the lyrics, with an emphasis on spiritual religiousity ("Some Men," "Pearl") that sometimes feels at odds with the French vibe Dunckel is going for. But "Earth" serves as a counterpart to these tracks, with its more funk-oriented rhythm and its single earth-friendly lyric. And on the final track, "Bathroom Spirit," a bit of the Air aesthetic returns. This is a pleasant album -- not quite up there with the best of Air, but not quite as annoying as _10,000 Hz Legend_, either.

I heard the first track, "Be My Friend", on [...] and I liked the crisp electronic Commodore 64 like computer effects and hoped that this would be Darkels style. Unfortunately the vocal is boring and the rest of the tracks were uninspiring.

Amazon's editorial review's can be so shortsighted. The reviewer clearly hasn't heard all the music of 2006, otherwise he'd know that 'Darkel' is a minor musical miracle compared to other formulaic albums so common today.

These songs have bad vocals, I admit, but that has always been apart of Air's charm. Besides, it enhances their uniqueness NOT to detriment of the music, at least in my opinion. No, it has always been the MELODIES that have made Dunckel's work so good. And this album DOES NOT disappoint!

'Be My Friend': A continuation of the Talkie Walkie sound. Hooray! Rather underwhelming, though.

'At the End of the Sky': A WONDERFUL song! Very upbeat, catchy, and comforting. It reminds me VERY MUCH of something from John Lennon's 'Double Fantasy' album!

'TV Destroy': A gloriously goofy epic pop song in the vein of 'Radio #1' or 'People In the City' from 10000 Hertz Legend!

'Some Men': A beautiful, BEAUTIFUL piano lullaby. A worthy successor to 'Venus' from Talkie Walkie.

'My Own Sun': A pleasing retro pop song, although the melody does barrow a LOT from The Kink's 'A Well Respected Man', so loss of points there. Still, VERY welcome to my ears.

'Pearl': Another pretty song, although underwhelming.

'Earth': Very 80's sounding, which is ok with me. Very atmospheric too.

'Beautiful Woman': The fourth GREAT song on this album. Another 80's sounding pop classic. Very catchy and upbeat. I love it.

'How Brave You Are': A piano classic and a bit of a precursor to 'Once Upon a Time' from Pocket Symphony.

'Bathroom Spirit': I don't know what it is about these people and bathrooms? Lol, anyway, this reminds me of the music from The Virgin Suicides, their greatest work, so I'm extremely happy with this.

In conclusion, BUY THIS ALBUM! Especially if only for 'At The End Of The Sky', 'Some Men', and 'Beautiful Woman'. It is the true successor to the fabulous Talkie Walkie, rather than the disappointing Pocket Symphony that would follow in '07.

I'm an Air fan. I think most everyone that bought this album is. The first song absolutly blew me away...right off the bat i was excited for the rest of the album. As it turned out I was dissappointed with the rest...except "My Own Sun" and "How Brave You Are". The other songs just seemed disconnected and hard to listen to. Maybe I need more time with the album or something. I'm looking forward to the next Darkel album though...I think this frenchman has more up his sleeve.

...Buy the new Air album too...it fits in your pocket.

This album is one of those albums that you can play all the way through over and over again. It is full of dreamy sounds and sweet lyrics and also some very upbeat poppy songs as well. I was hoping that it wasn't going to sound like an Air album and it doesn't. Of course you can hear the things that you like about Air in there and Air fans should love it. I know I love it!

I love "Air", but those hoping to hear another "Air" album will be disappointed. Those prepared for something different will be amazed.

Jean-Benoit Dunckel does what is virtually impossible with most artists in this genre of music. He sets you up with an amazing and unique opening track ("Be My Friend")and DOES NOT repeat himself one bit throughout the record.

That makes every track on "Darkel" a one of a kind experience. The seal sounds on "Destroy TV" will make you smile and the slow synth and robotic vocals on "Earth" will make you wanna have sex! Play this album at your next party or on your next date...you're guaranteed to have an interesting evening!!!

This is without a doubt one of the finest albums of 2006. My love for it only grows. I recommend it strongly. It is plesant and futuristic. Charming and clean. Thanks for such a gem of an album. The guy who gives this 1 star must have had a rough day.

I am a huge fan of Air, and I was so happy to hear this album by one of its members was coming out. What a disappointment! There may be a couple of songs that are okay, but most of them are just embarrassingly awful..like TV Destroy. UGGHH! The lyrics in these songs leave a lot to be desired.
I will say Bathroom Spirit is fairly good and At the End of the Sky is sort of catchy. Maybe How Brave You Are will grow on me, but that is about it. Although.... I was REALLY hoping for La Femme D'Argent or Kelly Watch the Stars quality.