ELECTRONICA

Latest releases reviewed

Latest releases reviewed

 DARKEL
Darkel
Source/EMI
***

Yes, there are moments when you could swear you were listening to Air. Understandable, because Jean-Benoit Dunckel's solo album does, in places, sound remarkably like such previous offerings as Talkie Walkie and the soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides. The languid pace of Some Men will even have you wondering if you're hearing a piece of Moon Safari that didn't make the final cut. But when Dunckel abandons his Air supply and takes a brisk walk on the wild side, his own distinctive shapes begin to crystallise. TV Destroy has an indie momentum to its stuttering vocals and punchy guitars, while Earth anchors itself in the kind of completely spaced-out, proggy-funk waters that Dunckel has steered clear of to date while wearing his Air uniform. Many listeners may find his singing voice a mite trying over the span of an entire album, but the ideas and idioms are strong enough to overcome that. www.darkel.info