Customer Reviews

No Way Down

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Air France are a Swedish duo and "No way down" is their second EP. Comprising relaxing ambient electronic soundscapes especially displayed on three instrumentals, opening cut the ominous sounding "Maundy thursday" (could be used on the soundtrack to some thriller), the simply stunning guitar festooned title track "No way down" (which incorporates whistling and crowd sounds to charming effect), and closing cut the tinkling piano-driven "Windmill wedding" (with a lovely acoustic break).

Comprising just six tracks, the other three have an ever so light Dance feel; "June evenings" (with some airy sounding female), "Collapsing at your doorstep", and the delightful string-swathed "No excuses" (with some spoken French), all three featuring some vocals.

Their style reminds me of french pair Air or Norwegian pair Röyksopp (it seems great electronic music these days is made by duos?). Sparkling and refreshing. Shame it's only 6 songs.

It's got a great sound, it's not missing anything, and it's not working too hard to do what it needs to do. Great vocals thrown in with excellent samples, guitar, bass, and house-oriented drumwork/synths. There's an element of dance but it's not the kind of music you get up and thrash to like Justice; sit down with some headphones and relax with this, or take it on your way to work to clear your head. Even at its hardest moments it still feels pretty gentle to the ears - i.e. the strings in "No Excuses".

If you like Panda Bear but you're a bit turned off by the oversampling, check this out. Last couple of songs are a little disappointing, but only because the first 4 are so strong.

I'm looking forward to the LP...not sure if it's in the works yet but as far as I know they have 2 EPs.

Like a warm summer breeze washing over you this album transports you to a bliss state. This album is the soundtrack for a trip to Ibiza on a yacht with a beautiful woman. Many of the melodies are at a horses gallop pace and have a playful/joyous appeal which inspire nods of the head, tapping of the feet etc. Just a pleasant, although short sonic vacation to paradise. Highly recommended.

I am satisfied by this article, by the service, delivery and description of the same one. I wait to continue possessing this wonderful ssitema to do my purchases. Regards and that you spend very well this end of year .

No Way Down is a beautifully made album by Swedish electronic group Air France. Some tracks feature elements of pop and dance (Balearic, with an elegant laid-backed style) while other instrumental tracks create soundscapes that are well conceived. This is the kind of music that places the listener momentarily in another world. It makes you want to throw everything away for a moment and settle on a little island by the beach, or live among nature on grassy fields.
Most tracks on the album feature voice samples of either women or children, who speak in breathy, airy tones. This gives the music an ethereal, fairytale-like quality that is either melded into a smooth, surreal instrumental soundscape or placed on top of more traditional dance beats with vocal choruses. You think of dancing alone in a far away place, or reaching out with fingertips to touch a world in the distance. Sound samples from nature also set the peaceful, tranquil atmosphere of the album, such as birds chirping. Both sound samples complement each other to give the album natural as well as human dimensions.
No Way Down opens with Maundy Thursday, an instrumental track with a layered atmospheric soundscape that is one of the darker tracks of the album, yet it lays out the musical context of the album with its surrealism and reference to a world beyond the listener's reality. The album progresses with more traditionally-sounding dance and pop tracks which continue to communicate the feel of a fairytale world to the listener; June Evenings opens the album into a world of dance; not heavy dance that pounds incessantly, but the kind of dance that makes you sigh, close your eyes and open yourself up to your imagination. Collapsing at Your doorstep loops the phrase: "Sorta like a dream, isn't it? No - better," a self-reflexive comment of the album itself. No Excuses is one of the catchier tracks here complete with soaring chorus, punctuating human breaths and handclaps and an inserted sample of a conversation in French. Its blatant use of the harp and a soaring chorus is somehow far from cheesy. You take the song's prettiness literally; you don't seem to locate pretentiousness here even though the production elements seem to smell of it. The titular track continues the trend of voice sampling, featuring an ethereal sounding female voice that sometimes sounds childlike as well as sounds of whistling. These voiced samples overlay the traditional drum and bass, giving the pop beat a otherworldly quality that is very calming and refreshing. Finally, the album ends with a wonderful instrumental track Windmill Wedding that samples the sounds of a woman moaning, church bells ringing and even a horse whinnying; this track provoked the kind of mood I like to call `sadly beautiful'. By the end of the album, you feel as if you have been transported into a mysterious pasture.
Air France have done an incredible job with No Way Down, embellishing their electronic sound with sounds of nature and tastefully and effectively creating a fairytale. When you listen to the music as a whole, you think of everything coming together in terms of nature and humanity to create the fantastical. Bear in mind that the album is very `pretty', so don't expect the realistic or gritty; instead expect the idealistic, appreciate it for what it is and prepare to be submerged momentarily into a world of fluff and clouds...