They've created a score alive with alternating currents of portentous noir atmosphere, sentimentality and playfulness, one that, amazingly, evokes mid-'70s suburbia without ever seeming campy or obviously retro. Directed by Sofia Coppola, the film is based on Jeffrey Eugenides' novel about a group of boys obsessed with five sisters kept cloistered by their fanatically protective mother. The album begins with a fairly straightforward pop song that nonetheless sets the tone for what follows.
Air are immensely clever at turning narrative into pure music.
The images conjured by these instrumental, abstract tracks are mirrored with eerie precision in their titles. Ouija board sessions my friends and I used to have to contact a dead classmate. Michelle Goldberg is a frequent contributor to Salon and a contributing editor at Shift magazine. She lives in San Francisco. All rights reserved.