Features, Music September 1, 2009 By Jessica Ferri
Air
Photography by Franco Musso

air title Air

Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel have been making music together since they were in grade school. They meet everyday to play, whether they have specific ideas in mind or not. Eventually, out of these daily improvisations, an album is born. Maintaining this sort of routine for over a decade takes an incredible amount of commitment. Asked if their relationship resembled a marriage, Godin responds, “For me, the idea of a marriage is someone who doesn’t piss you off. The world is cruel enough. When you come home, you need some support. Our producers tell us these stories about bands that hate each other and I say, ‘Why do you do this?’ You have to want to be together.”
     So Godin and Dunckel’s marriage may solely be a musical one, but it’s an incredibly successful partnership. Love 2, the most recent fruit of their labor, sounds like a record from two musicians who have hit their stride — they know what works, and this go-round they’ve found inspiration in the sense of security that love and acceptance can provide. “Love shouldn’t be a problem,” Godin says. “Yes, but lack of love is always a problem,” Dunckel continues. “The songs on this record are about aching for love. We just want to say, ‘Love me.’” And that’s not an impossible request.

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Air – Do the Joy

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