Back two years after the lukewarm reception of their last album, 10,000 Hz Legend, the French Electronic duo Air, comprising of Jean-Benoît Dunckel and Nicolas Godin are back with their latest release Talkie Walkie.
With the success and brilliance of Moon Safari still hanging above them six years later, Talkie Walkie has still a lot to live up to, especially when their last two albums, 10,000 Hz Legend and The Virgin Suicides were good but not quite there in terms of brilliance.
Opening with the track Venus, the song transports you back to familiar territories of Air albums gone by, notably their second album, The Virgin Suicides. Their hazy, melancholy style drifts you between the music, which wouldn't be out of place at 3am after a hard night down your local discotheque.
The second track, Cherry Blossom Girl is distinctively French; if Serge Gainsbourg was still alive you'd want his husky voice swooning over this delightful track. The track's innocence and whimsical beauty sets up the album well.
Turning the emotional context of the album on it's head, Run sounds like an Air track turned evil. It's sinister drum beat, with almost childlike chimes and echoes is possibly the best track on the album. You won't be sleeping easy tonight.
Although the sound resembles The Virgin Suicides, the structure of the album is similar to Air's last album, 10,000 Hz Legend. The first half starts off with your structurally common, packaged songs that hold their own on the album, while the second half is more experimental, making the songs merge into one song. This is where the album gets a little bit, erm, lost.
Mike Millis, Surfin' On A Rock and Another World are explorations in Air ambiance that will send you asleep if you're in a semi-drunken mood. Mike Millis is the only instrumental on the album, and unfortunately goes nowhere, while Surfin' On A Rock moves you along a little quicker, but no-where important. Another World almost kills the album when luckily the quirkiness of the next track, Alpha Beta Gaga, with it's quaint whistling rescues you from immediate slumber.
The last two tracks, Biological and Alone In Tokyo take you back into the ambiance of the Air sound to put you and the album to bed.
Leaving the melancholy world of Air, you wonder what you did while the music just drifted time past you.
There's no real singles here, just a collage of soundscapes that flies you through the quaint world that Air have generously mapped out for you. Moon Safari will always be the Air album, Talkie Walkie is a nice addition, but nowhere as essential.
Like the music, I've got a bad feeling that this album might just magically pass everybody by.
Standout Tracks - Run, Cherry Blossom Girl and Alpha Beta Gaga.
If you like The Virgin Suicides, get Talkie Walkie, but don't expect anything as breakthrough as Moon Safari.
6/10
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