Darkel
Studio album by
Darkel
Released18 September 2006
GenreAlternative, Electronica
Length46:11
LabelEMI, Source, Astralwerks
ProducerDarkel
Darkel chronology
Darkel
(2006)		 Man of Sorrow
(2015)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic55/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubC[2]
Allmusic[3]
Gigwise[4]
The Guardian[5]
MusicOMH[6]
The Observer[7]
Pitchfork4.7/10[8]
Popmatters4/10[9]
Prefix Magazine8/10[10]
Sputnikmusic[11]

Darkel is the debut solo studio album by French musician Darkel (Jean-Benoît Dunckel), one half of the French electronica band Air. It was released in September 2006 (see 2006 in music).

Critical reception

Darkel was met with "mixed or average" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 55 based on 18 reviews.[1]

In a review for AllMusic, critic reviewer Heather Phares wrote: "Darkel doesn't differ greatly from his work with Air - it's got the same mix of epic synth passages and sexy, starry-eyed pop, and his wispy, almost androgynous voice would be unmistakable in almost any setting. Sometimes Darkel seems in danger of floating away on its flights of fancy, suggesting that Godin gives some of Dunckel's more whimsical ideas some grounding when they work together as Air."[3] Dorian Lynskey at The Guardian said: "Without his band's usual deep-pile arrangements, these twinkling melodies and synth-prog twiddles sound rather insubstantial; TV Destroy is tinselly new wave that would struggle to destroy a teabag."[5] At Pitchfork, Marc Hogan explained: "While several of the songs evoke the woozy romance of Air's slower tracks, the usual aplomb of Dunckel's day job is lacking, so many fans may want to hold out for the new Air album due next year."[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jean-Benoît Dunckel except where noted

Darkel track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Be My Friend"
  • Jean-Benoît Dunckel
  • Euston Jones
4:16
2."At the End of the Sky"
  • Dunckel
  • Jones
4:12
3."TV Destroy"Dunckel3:10
4."Some Men"Dunckel4:09
5."My Own Sun"
  • Dunckel
  • Jones
3:40
6."Pearl"Dunckel4:07
7."Earth"Dunckel6:37
8."Beautiful Woman"Dunckel2:40
9."How Brave You Are"
  • Dunckel
  • Jones
4:28
10."Bathroom Spirit"Dunckel6:52

Single

At the End of the Sky was released as a single with two additional tracks.

  1. "At the End of the Sky" – 4:12
  2. "Bunny Girl" – 4:37
  3. "Stay" – 3:01

Personnel

  • Stephane "Alf" Briat – Mixing
  • Alex Gopher – Mastering
  • Laurent Griffon – Bass, Guitar
  • Earl Harvin – Drums
  • Hi-Five – Cover Art
  • Dayan Korolic – Bass
  • Anthony Mccann – Photography
  • Valérie Sonnier – Cover Photo

Release details

Country Date Label Format Catalog
United Kingdom 18 September 2006 EMI, Source LP 3666201 / 0 0946 366620 1
CD digipak 3666202 / 0 0946 366620 2 2
CD 3728912 / 0 0946 372891 2 9
United States 19 September 2006 Astralwerks LP ASW-66620 / 0946 3 66620 1
CD ASW-72891 / 0946 3 72891 2 9

References

  1. 1 2 "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  2. ↑ "The A.V. Club Review". The A.V. Club. 10 October 2006. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  4. ↑ "Gigwise Review". Gigwise. Archived from the original on 16 April 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  5. 1 2 Lynskey, Dorian (14 September 2006). "CD: Darkel, Darkel". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  6. ↑ Lee, Darren (18 September 2006). "MusicOMH Review". MusicOMH. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  7. ↑ Brumfitt, Stuart (16 October 2006). "The Observer Review". The Observer. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  8. 1 2 Hogan, Marc (16 October 2006). "Darkel: Darkel Album Review - Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  9. ↑ Dover, John (23 October 2006). "PopMatters Review". PopMatters. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  10. ↑ Weibush, Ryan (27 October 2006). "Prefix Review". Prefix Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 December 2006. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "SputnikMusic Review". SputnikMusic. 23 October 2006. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
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