Back in 2010, Air’s Nicolas Godin realised that he needed a change. “I observed that music was taking up only a small part of my daily life,” he says. “And every day on tour was the same.”
The change arrives, five years later, in the shape of Contrepoint, Godin’s first solo album. As the title suggests, Contrepoint has strong classical influences which are combined with Godin’s leftfield pop sensibility. In fact, every track is inspired by – and built around – a piece of music by Bach, taking Glenn Gould’s performances of the composer’s music as a jumping-off point, before venturing into other areas, be they rock, jazz or electronic.
Inventive, unique and occasionally challenging, it’s fair to say you won’t hear another record like it this year. Have a listen using the player below and let us know your thoughts in the comment section!
Nicolas Godin plays at the Oval Space show on 11 November
