When the French duo Jean-Benoit
Dunckel and Nicholas Godin released their 'Moon Safari' album in
1998 it was hailed as an easy-listening masterpiece and started
an outbreak of similar-sounding French instrumentalists. The
sound created was one of kitsch 60's easy-listening soundscapes
allied with polite Kraftwerk touches yet still sounding like it
was made in the '90s. This mini-album of previous efforts has
been heralded by the press in similar fashion. And yet to these
ears much of the music on offer here is mere background music and
only on occasions does it emerge as anything more exciting. The
track which sounds most like Kraftwerk is the best, 'J'ai Dormi
Sous L'Eau' (I Sleep Under The Water) but it lacks the emotional
impact of their Teutonic predecessors. Elsewhere the album is
just an exercise in easy-listening; pleasant enough and yet
rather dull.