The other day I was taking a nap at work, something I do several times a week. I put my feet up on my desk, leaned way back in my chair, and propped my head up with the special pillow a pregnant coworker bought for support during her baby-growing days. Despite it being bright (as in, the lights are still on) and noisy, if I wear earphones and listen to some peaceful music, this position is bizarrely soporific. I fall asleep in moments and can reliably attain a 20-minute power nap. This is in sharp contrast to my regularly scheduled nighttime sleeping which is infuriatingly inconsistent.
A couple of days ago I was [I think] soundly asleep in the office when I started dreaming that I was soundly asleep in my office. When I woke up, I was convinced I hadn’t actually slept and had instead been engaged in sleepless self-contemplation. But the more I thought about it the more I convinced myself that I actually had been asleep and had been meta-dreaming about myself sleeping. This got me pondering about how I can ever be sure that I’ve actually slept on some “I dream therefore I sleep” kinda vibes. In the end, this line of thought never actually went anywhere, but I have been trying to read Kierkegaard lately so hopefully this is a sign that some of it is sinking in.
As I sleep, I need some peaceful, mostly vocal-less tunes to blot out the incessant chattering of my coworkers. My go-to lately has been the band Air, a French duo that achieved somewhat improbable success in the late 90s with the chill electronic album Moon Safari.
Alpha Beta Gaga
The opening sounds of this track are familiar and pleasingly textured. Throw in some high-level whistling and you’ve got yourself a hit, baby. The video is dumb as hell and oddly low resolution but it does lend a Western aesthetic to the tune that may have been missed without it.
Surfing on a Rocket
Late 80s drum machines, whispery vocals, AND synth sounds? Count me in. Real talk, the chorus is catchy as hell and single-handedly carries this skeleton of a song all the way to the end.
La femme d’argent
This is Air’s “big hit” (maybe their second biggest hit, after Sexy Boy) on their breakout album Moon Safari. I guarantee you have heard it before. It lends itself very well to movie montages and iPod commercials. It’s my personal opinion that more songs should start with the sound of rain. It puts the listener in the mood to stare vacantly out the window and think expansive thoughts. Well done, Air.