Tribute to Méliès

The French certainly love their fellow Frenchmen.

Straddling the line that divides a soundtrack from an ambient album is French duo Air with their latest project, “Le Voyage Dans la Lune.” Producing 11 stellar intergalactic melodies that complement the recent restoration of legendary French filmmaker George Méliès’ historical film of the same name, this is Air’s best work since “Moon Safari” in 1998.

Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel also team up with Beach House’s Victoria Legrand in the brilliantly catchy (yet not kitschy) track “Seven Stars.” Legrand, with her ethereal voice, exceeds Air’s most memorable track, “Sexy Boy.”

Five-minute track “Sonic Armada” is perhaps most reminiscent of the band’s electronica of yesteryear, and yet is telling of the cosmic wanderlust that they hope to convey through “Le Voyage Dans la Lune.”

Air’s reverence for Méliès is evident in this musical tribute, but the album can stand on its own as a great comeback for the band.