PREMIERS SYMPTOMES (SPECIAL LP)

It's usually just the collectors and obsessed fans that contend a band's first few singles are really their best work, far better than the material that ends up on their first album. With the French band Air, the collectors may just be right for once. Premiers Symptomes, a five-track EP boosted up to seven tracks for its eventual American issue on Astralwerks, features some of the most gorgeous moments in the duo's discography -- no small task considering the gems included on their full-length debut, 1998's Moon Safari. Almost completely instrumental (except for the surprisingly smooth robot croon on "Le Soleil est Pres de Moi"), Premiers Symptomes offers a half-dozen tracks of beautiful, deliciously downtempo synth-pop. It's far more than just a compilation of substandard early material that works best for collectors, it takes its place right next to Moon Safari as another highlight of French electronica. ~ John Bush