This Is Our Jam: Air, Featuring Victoria Legrand, “Seven Stars”

Air's music is often described as “dream like” — and dreams tend to operate by their own free-associative logic, which makes sense considering my thought process upon first hearing "Seven Stars." To wit: Air’s upcoming album Le Voyage Dans La Lune (translation: A Trip to the Moon) takes its name from a silent science fiction film directed by Georges Méliès; “Seven Stars” is the first single from that record, and happens to share its name with a popular brand of Japanese cigarettes; In Haruki Murakami’s recent novel 1Q84, one of the characters smokes these cigarettes almost continuously; also in 1Q84, the moon is the centerpiece of the novel, symbolizing to the characters that their reality has shifted. For three artists who may not even be aware of each other, the moon holds everything together.

With the help of Beach House’s Victoria Legrand, Air navigates a lunar landscape guiding us through space. It’s a journey that could lead anywhere, simultaneously tense and sleepy, filled with sonic left turns and unexpected bumps in the road.