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Moon Safari - 10th Anniversary Edition

Astralwerks / Virgin

April 24, 2008

We all know what horrors illegal downloading has wrought on new releases; one side effect of that erosion involves labels attempting to recoup those losses by re-animating their back catalogues, Mary Shelley style. Before the big swoon, it was tough to justify a reissue without a remaster, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and so lately, we've seen an increasing spate of albums re-released for no other reason than a round-number anniversary. In the cases of your Thriller s and your Pet Sounds , that's a justifiable enough benchmark-- in a way, those reissues provide the platform to talk about us and how much we've changed as much as the music. Something like the new deluxe edition of Air's Moon Safari , though, is a slightly trickier proposition.

For starters: There's the niggling question of whether Air's debut, superb as it is, really merits canonical treatment. As a collection of songs, it's endured well enough over time; after a decade, it still holds up fine. But so have a ton of other similarly acclaimed and successful records from 1998, and it doesn't seem remotely appropriate to roll out the red carpet for those either. As far as modern connect points go, there's nothing really happening musically at the moment that makes Moon Safari suddenly worthy of re-examination. If anything, with its dainty sonics and polite arpeggios, a lot of this record runs counter to the discofied and Balearic dance that's currently in fashion. Even Air would quickly abandon the cultivated library music aesthetic that characterized this record in favor of spindlier, more complicated, more sinister material. So yeah: As a snapshot of a place in time, you could do a lot worse than Moon Safari . But as something to be canonized in a three-disc set? The physics are lost on me. What, aside from the poetry of the number 10, is the exact reason to celebrate it now?

Granted, it probably wasn't Air's idea to do this, and it's certainly not their fault that Moon Safari 's legacy ultimately yielded a long list of bands along the lines of Lemon Jelly, Zero 7, Morcheeba, and Thievery Corporation, so perhaps it's fairer just to concentrate on what this reissue offers rather than the reason for it. The answer there, unfortunately, is: mixed returns. Although a robust collection featuring the original album, a disc of bonuses and B-sides, and a DVD featuring Mike Mills' 1999 tourfilm Eating, Sleeping, Waiting and Playing , this reissue doesn't offer nearly enough in the way of substantive bonus material to warrant its existence, nor does it even select the right material from that era to re-package.

The bonus disc is the biggest indicator of the lack of quality control or thoughtfulness on hand: instead of material from the duo's excellent surrounding EPs, Le Soleil Est Près De Moi and the singles compilation Premiers Symptômes (a lot of which could actually benefit from having a light shone on it), we get five live tracks-- including a horrible, thrashy version of "Kelly Watch the Stars"-- which expose Air's live approach early on as light on musicianship and heavy on grating affectation and kitsch. Of the remaining demos and remixes, only the two-minute long, string-heavy take on "Remember" (itself a resurrected B-side) and a sparse demo of "You Make It Easy" (from when it was an instrumental called "Bossa 96") are remotely illuminating. Everything else just feels incidental and reheated.

Provided you like your filmmaking mannered and slightly cutesy, Mills' documentary remains a worthwhile curiosity, but even still, I can't imagine that anyone who'd be willing to shell out the money for a Moon Safari 10th Anniversary Edition wouldn't be acquainted with it already. Aside from that, you're basically paying for the packaging; in this case, that means a DVD-sized hardcover package with a nice, if slightly unnecessary, lyrics book attached. As a case for Moon Safari as a classic record, it falls a little short. But as a nice keepsake of a lovely record, it could be worse. I guess in the end it's really just a matter of whether you're fanatical enough about this album to buy it again. Virgin's either betting (or hoping) that enough of you are.

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Moon Safari – Himlabacken Vol. 2. (Album Review)

Review of the new Moon Safari album Himlabacken Vol. 2.

by Prog Nick

Some people hold the view that complex multi-part vocal harmonies can cause music to be saccharine. Layered harmonies, delivered in three, five or even six parts, most certainly make Progressive Rock sweeter, but in my view, they are as necessary to Melodic Prog as the powdered sugar on a glazed donut. It would simply not be the same without them. However, Sweden’s Moon Safari is a band that has taken the use of vocal harmonies up to another level. The members often sing the most massively complex harmonies, while playing their instruments in extravagant arrangements. They even deliver some standard song verses in five-part harmony, and the band’s six-part a capella performances that ended their many sets on Cruise To The Edge, have become the stuff of legend.

But if you think that Moon Safari are only about sweet vocal harmonies, think again. There is so much more to this musical confectionery than just that. Each member is not just a great singer but also a highly accomplished instrumental performer, and the music that the band creates in combination to underpin the vocals is complex, powerful, filled with dizzying (but utterly appropriate) time signatures, and, quite frankly, as technically excellent as any superstar Prog band out there.

I have been a Moon Safari fan for many years, and the band’s music has regularly been the soundtrack to whatever was occurring in my life at the time. This often caused me to wonder why this superb band, originally discovered by Thomas Bodin of The Flower Kings in 2005, was not as big as a Transatlantic or a Spock’s Beard or indeed The Flower Kings. There were, after all, five astounding studio albums released between 2005’s ‘A Doorway to Summer’ and 2013’s ‘Himlabacken Vol. 1’. (The latter, for example, contained a track called ‘My Little Man’ that I played to my son as a baby.) Perhaps the niche nature of their fan-base was because of their specialized vocal harmony approach? Perhaps it was because they were released on their own independent label? Perhaps it was due to the individual members’ personal situations, which led to long breaks between recordings and live shows, including ten years since ‘Vol. 1’? Whatever the reasons, Moon Safari are now back in late 2023 with ‘Himlabacken Vol. 2’ and the cake delivered for our consumption is a sumptuous one indeed.

The now-familiar six-man line-up of the band is Petter Sandström on lead vocals, harmonica and acoustic guitar; Simon Åkesson on lead and backing vocals, piano, organ and Moog synthesizer; Pontus Åkesson on lead and backing vocals, electric and acoustic guitars; Sebastian Åkesson on backing vocals, assorted keyboards and percussion; Johan Westerlund on lead and backing vocals and bass
and Mikael Israelsson on drums, percussion and backing vocals. Jamison Smeltz appears on saxophone on one song. With that line-up, you can probably already begin to imagine the complex and astounding interweaving of multi-layered vocals and instrumentation that this album presents. It was recorded at Kulturföreningen Mullberget in Skellefteå, Sweden, and mixed and mastered, of course, by the king of Prog producers, the legendary Rich Mouser.

Trying to describe this album with brevity is difficult, but I will try: imagine a combination of The Beatles and The Beach Boys at their vocal best, backed by the best choir in Heaven, underpinned by the most precise, often complex, but always perfect Progressive Rock instrumentation. The music performed to the highest level and co-produced by the best producer in Prog. It is a dense and layered cake indeed, and its taste is delectable and divine. ‘Himlabacken Vol. 2’, then, is a delicious melange.

The tracks on the album (whose title means ‘Heavenly Hill’) are as follows: ‘198X (Heaven Hill), Between the Devil and Me, Emma, Come On, A Lifetime to Learn How to Love, Beyond the Blue, Blood Moon, Teen Angel Meets the Apocalypse, Forever, for You’ and ‘Epilog’. At almost 70 minutes, you might think that this album is average in length, but such are the density and complexity of the arrangements, that it feels as if the album almost bursts at the seams – like a warm cake spilling out of the baking tin. There is much to absorb in this 70 minutes.

It is no coincidence that the first track is called ‘198X’ since it features a Van Halen-like keyboard sound (a la ‘1984’) that deceives the listener into thinking that this album might end up being simpler than Moon Safari’s previous offerings. Not so – epic second song ‘Between the Devil and Me’ is 11 minutes of sheer Melodic Prog genius with Simon Åkesson’s voice ranging from the sweetest to the most aggressive he has sounded, all at just the right moments. The song is a precisely ordered and perfectly baked gateau of swirling melodies, powerful, stabbing instrumentals and always sonorous vocal harmonies. After the interlude and Sandström‘s beautifully-delivered line ‘The only truth we’ll ever know is that life goes up and down’, a massive crescendo is reached. It is just what the baker ordered, and a real statement that Moon Safari are back with a vengeance.

‘Emma, Come On’ is the candy-cane moment of the album. A honeyed, up-tempo love song based on a solid but not uncomplicated groove, it is short and very sweet. Brian Wilson would have been proud (but would not, one thinks, necessarily have comprehended the time signatures).

Then comes ‘A Lifetime to Learn How to Love.’ It is hard for me to describe this song, since it has quickly become an important symbol in my life. Even repeating the core lyric ‘May kindness and love always surround you… you’ve got a lifetime to learn how to love’, does not suitably depict the emotion of this song. Let me just say this: any father that hears this song will immediately want to play it to his child, whether born or unborn, so profound is its parental message and beauty. I certainly did so with tears in my eyes.

‘Beyond the Blue’ and ‘Blood Moon’ are shorter songs (presented before the long epic) that are far from filler. The former, perhaps the least outstanding moment on the album, is an accomplished, dark and sombre chant that sounds almost monastic, while the latter is pure Prog-pop brilliance delivered in the most upbeat manner in odd time. The instrumental stabs and counterpoints belie the apparent simplicity of the song’s vocal line and time signature, but the resulting mixture is a recipe of the most delicious kind. Play this one as a taster for anyone that likes pop but should be introduced to Prog.

If the other tracks are the frosting and the filling of the cake, 21-minute epic ‘Teen Angel Meets the Apocalypse’ forms the core of this album. If you thought that Moon Safari was just about the vocals, one listen to this saga of a song will set that misconception right in a hurry (well after 21 minutes, at least). It is an extravaganza of varied Prog frenzy, ranging from sweeping choruses and writhing solos to jagged, staccato rhythms and mood swings from the most contemplative to the most frantic and heavy. It is Melodic Prog on steroids (or at least on a sugar rush). There is a part in the middle that reprises the children’s rhyme ‘London Bridge Is Falling Down’ in a way that only Moon Safari can do. The section is also an obvious homage to The Beatles – clearly one of the band’s most distinctive influences. London Bridge, quite frankly, never sounded so good, but there is so much more: crazy time signatures, a Moog solo, syncopated instrumentals, a searing and soaring guitar solo from Pontus Åkesson using one of the best bluesy sounds you have ever heard and keyboard solos to cry for. The line ‘Baby we don’t need no borders cos we’ve got Rock ‘n Roll’ leads into a thematic climax as good as any in Prog. The cinematic peak then passes and allows the nursery rhyme to return to fade the track gently into the distance. ‘Teen Angel’ is, simply put, a magnificent performance by an exceptional band that is declaring its return with nothing short of Prog thunder.

‘Forever, For You’ is nine minutes of bitter-sweet, gentle magic that will leave you with the best possible flavor in your mouth (and ears). It seems to me that the composers of these tunes must be new fathers and must currently have family, children and paternal love on their minds. ‘The only thing that lasts forever is the love that we leave when we’re gone’ goes the lyric. Precisely. Smeltz’s excellent sax solo is beautifully understated and the immense vocal harmonies and expansive instrumentals take the song home gently, as intended. Just fabulous.

The album ends with ‘Epilog’, a hauntingly appropriate harmony vocal track that features all of the band’s fine voices by reprising various themes on the album in Swedish, just as it should be. With a church organ backing and ecclesiastic choral harmonies, this song, one presumes, will close not only the album but also the band’s live show. With a gentle piano note that ends the album, it is utterly endearing.

Moon Safari have exceeded any and all expectations with Himlabacken Vol. 2. The band themselves deserve to be superstars – from Israelsson’s underrated and brilliant drumming to the utter perfection that is the vocals of Sandström, Westerlund and the Åkesson brothers, all delivered at the same time as their various staggering multi-instrumentals. There is quite simply not another band like them. And this is all rounded off with the powerful production of the most tasteful studio magician in Prog, the great Rich Mouser. If too many cooks spoil the broth, there is no way that musicians with such chemistry and command of their voices and instruments can do anything other than combine to make the most magical, mixed, magnificent musical cake. Please take a bite – you will love it. As for me, apart from playing this repeatedly to my kids, I am avidly awaiting more records from this fine band (Himlabacken Vol. 3 anyone?) There is also the great expectation of the new magic that will inevitably be created at Moon Safari’s live shows after this album’s release. Moon Safari are back. Pour some sugar on me.

Released on Dec 8th, 2023

Tracklising below: 1. 198X (Heaven Hill) (3:55) 2. Between the Devil and Me (10:38) 3. Emma, Come On (3:19) 4. A Lifetime to Learn How to Love (8:28) 5. Beyond the Blue (2:12) 6. Blood Moon (5:44) 7. Teen Angel Meets the Apocalypse (21:03) 8. Forever, For You (10:08) 9. Epilog (3:22)

UK – (Exclusive Double Vinyl): https://burningshed.com/store/moon-safari/moon-safari_himlabacken-vol-2_cd-and-vinyl-bundle

USA: https://thebandwagonusa.com/collections/moon-safari/products/moon-safari-himlabacken-vol-2-cd-pre-order and https://www.lasercd.com/cd/himlabacken-vol-2-preorder

Germany: https://justforkicks.de/detail/index/sArticle/16103

Sweden: https://enkopingsskivbors.se/produkt/moon-safari-himlabacken-vol-2-cd/

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How Air’s ‘Moon Safari’ became an elegant masterpiece of '90s electronic music

Released in early 1998, Versailles duo Air’s debut album ‘Moon Safari’ was a gentle antidote to the wave of French Touch at the time. With an emphasis on melody and mood, it became a ubiquitous soundtrack to the end of the 20th century, and still sounds inspired today. Here, Ben Cardew explores its legacy

This feature was originally published by DJ Mag North America in 2019

So much electronic music is dominated by rhythm: the 4/4 stomp of techno; the woozy pulse of dubstep; the clattering breaks of jungle and drum and bass. However, some of the best electronic music — from Kraftwerk to Daft Punk, Masters at Work to Underground Resistance — is based on a wonderful understanding of melody, creating those hooks that stick in your head at the end of the night when the legs have been reduced to a mushy pulp. 

To this list we might add Air, the silkily nerdish duo from Versailles, who combine classical melodies with heady atmospherics, Serge Gainsbourg-esque élan and more than a hint of sex. Their music laid a framework for a generation of magenta-hued chill–out bands to idle out of the woodwork in their wake.

1998’s ‘Moon Safari’ was Air’s debut album, and, to date, their defining act. If you were young at the end of the 1990s and had anything more than a passing interest in electronic music you will have heard it, soundtracking dinner and after parties, school runs, chill-out rooms and 1,001 stodgy TV dramas. So ubiquitous did ‘Moon Safari’ become, in fact, and so many terrible bands did it inspire, that Air became almost persona non grata in the 2000s, their career hobbled by the intolerable omnipresence of their debut.

And yet, when you consider everything Air had against them, it was a minor miracle they even made their breakthrough. Air weren’t particularly fashionable, for a start. Even in the mid ’90s, when Parisian music was riding the sizzling wave of French Touch, band members Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel resembled more the architecture and maths students they had so recently been than the fashionable men around town their peers aspired to. 

“It was the late 1990s and Paris suddenly had this incredible electronic music scene: all these clubs were opening up. I didn’t get to go to all the parties, though, because I was generally at home with my wife taking care of Solal, our baby,” Dunckel told The Guardian in 2016. “We were poor. I knew our livelihood depended on Air being successful.”

Air dreamed to be different, both visually and sonically. There was nothing edgy or unconstrained about the band, no whiff of rebellion to get the heart strings pounding, and little in the way of beats to dance to. Most of all, as a stylistic decision, Air chose to be quiet: a gentle Gallic nuzzle to the ear rather than a voluptuous bear hug.

‘Sexy Boy’, the first single to be taken from ‘Moon Safari’, is typical of the duo’s individualistic approach to songwriting, marked by an androgynous, indistinct vocal. "If we’d sung ‘sexy girl’, it would have been a disaster. ‘Sexy Boy’ felt different,” Godin told The Guardian. “The song was about who we wanted to be; we weren’t handsome when we were younger; our friends always had more success with girls.”

So Air were big, unfashionable softies in a musical decade marked by innovation, ambition and noise. It would have been easy for Air to spanner together disco samples and filters to create a French House tune that would temporarily captivate the Parisian nightclubs. What Air did was to rely on melody and timbre to make their hugely elegant point. ‘Moon Safari’ was the epitome of this, the album’s 10 tracks forming a closed loop of such melodic brilliance and galactic ambience that listening to anything else afterwards felt like scraping muddy boots on a silk-lined boudoir. These are melodies that stick in the brain like glue, suspended in zero G by a velvety ambience of Fender Rhodes, clavinet, vocoder, strings and Moog.

Countless articles have been written about the recording of ‘Moon Safari’, and you can see why: the album pulled off the difficult task of sounding both futuristic and retro, its mixture of vocoders, synths and Serge Gainsbourg bass resembling a 1960’s vision of the gilded future, a combination best heard on the impossibly lush string and vocoder jam ‘Remember’.

Album opener ‘La Femme d’Argent’ is a wonderful example of Air’s insouciant melodic brilliance. The track also features stunning bass work, sporting the kind of bassline that carries the song on its back and leaves you singing in the shower.

Air were classically trained musicians who wore their hearts on their sleeves. The atmosphere of their music was balanced by the human emotion in their songwriting. ‘You Make It Easy’, a glittering highlight, spoke of the magic of falling in love, Beth Hirsch’s vocal soaked in emotion, while ‘New Star in the Sky (Chanson pour Solal)’ seemed to inject a whole galaxy of love and wonder into four tightly-packed lines with the ultra efficiency of a haiku.

And it was this, ultimately, that separated ‘Moon Safari’ from the music that came in its wake. Among the trends that the album inspired were an international Serge Gainsbourg revival, a renewed interest in film soundtracks, and the career of Sofia Coppola, with the band scoring her directorial debut The Virgin Suicides the year after ‘Moon Safari’s’ release. You can hear the album’s influence in the work of acts like Kid Loco, Bent, Röyksopp, Crustation, Tim “Love” Lee, Cibo Matto, Sébastian Tellier and more. But what few of these acts seemed to grasp, in their search for ever lusher melodic beds, was at the centre of Air’s artifice was a beating heart. Rather than the clatter of drums, this was the rhythm that ‘Moon Safari’ moved to.