Air Album: “Playground Love [UK CD]”

I heard this song, as you must know, through "the virgin suicides". It brings back the feeling of memories from past loves, and the feeling that everything is always a bit down, but still beautiful. This song has a very catchy chorus and is easy to sing along with. If you have ever seen "the virgin suicdes" you know what feelings I am talking about. I highly recommend this CD single and the movie that it accompanies.

This single has six tracks of about three minutes each. So you have eighteen minutes worth of music. The song itself is good. It has cute lyrics, nice instruments, and lush string background textures. The rest of the tracks are variations and mixes of "Playground Love", with the esception of "Bathroom Girl". The Vibrophone version is like the first version, but without the vocals. It contains that resonating vibrophone noise which can get annoying. The Nosferatu mix by The Flower Pistols is awful. It mas crunching drums and acid-jazz style bongo breakdowns. "Highschool Prom" is is a sped-up version that resembles what the song would sound like if it were played by a live band at a high school dance. The Demo Version of "Bathroom Girl" is mostly ambiance, there just isn't much music here. If you haven't heard the French Band Air, they make good slow music. Buy this single if you must own all of their work. Otherwise check out their first album "Moon Safari" for some cool, chilled out music.

Okay, okay, the singles have songs that tend to be disappointing compared to the version you first heard and are used to, but if you're really interested in Air OR "The Virgin Suicides" there are some tracks on here worth checking out.

Of course, the original version is genius.

The second track, "Bathroom Girl (Demo Version)," actually sounds like a track that didn't make it to Air's earlier effort, "Moon Safari," on the one hand. On the other hand, it's hauntingly dark, trippy and ethereal, its own distinct creation, and is very beautiful at the same time. Unlike the version heard on the score to "The Virgin Suicides," this comes close to capturing Cecilia, the character who actually IS bathroom girl, a suicidal pariah; it doesn't break out into 70's music nostalgia (blah) and stays true to the character it's representing.

"Playground Love (Vibraphone Version)" is sweet- deserving to be called an Air keepsake- and sounds like the perfect song to kick a can down the street to, if you're into that sort of thing.

Then the boredom starts. Once you reach the "Nosferatu Remix" you'll either hate it or accept it- it's a departure from the original version, and that's all I'll say (think bad techno meets good Devo). This version is probably only played at raves because I can't find any other purpose for it.

On a last note, no matter how optimistic I try to be, "Highschool Prom" is nails on a chalkboard to me. Thank God they didn't play it during the prom scene in the movie.