Product Description

Fourth album of retro-futurist electronica from Frenchmen Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin follows 2001's '10,000hz Legend'. A stylistic halfway house between the darker sound of that album and the atmospheric, vaguely psychedelic popof their debut 'Moon Safari', it features the talents of Serge Gainsbourg's legendary string arranger Michel Colombier and Radiohead's longtime producer Nigel Godrich.

Track Listing

1. Venus
2. Cherry Blossom Girl
3. Run
4. Universal Traveler
5. Mike Mills
6. Surfing On A Rocket
7. Another Day
8. Alpha Beta Gaga
9. Biological
10. Alone In Kyoto

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7668 in Music
• Released on: 2004-01-26
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Talkie Walkie comes five years after their landmark Moon Safari and Parisian mood-enhancers Air are back doing what they do best. Famously shy of ever repeating themselves, JB Dunckel and Nicolas Godin have filled in the years with the poorly received follow-up, 10,000hz Legend (even they think it strange), and an eerily effective soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's Virgin Suicides. Nice enough in their own niche way, but a far cry from what people actually wanted.

Happily, Talkie Walkie reunites us with the Air that we love: two hopelessly indulgent romantics with an ear in the past and an eye on the future. It's meltingly good stuff--a collection of cool, cosmic pop songs that dispense with notions of time and space, wallowing instead on a cloud of poignant psychedelia. With vocal duties this time taken by the boys themselves, and gorgeously fragile strings courtesy of Serge Gainsbourg collaborator, Michel Colombier, they get off to a good start. Perhaps the introduction of an outside producer, in this case Radiohead's Nigel Godrich, has forced such beautifully measured focus? Whatever, touchy-feely epics such as the heavenly "Cherry Blossom Girl" sit well next to electronic masterpieces such as "Ran", whose enveloping tracked vocals recall the 10cc classic "I'm Not in Love". --Paul Tierney

Customer Reviews

another classic
firstly i should probably say what kinda music i like: most things!
and this is one of those rare albums which is amazing - every track is wonderful. this album, like moon safari, does not disappoint....and i dont really see a massive change in styles - its different to moon safari but its not so different that you would only like moon safari OR talkie walkie.
i only got it this morning and ive now listened to it through 2 times and it is amazing. it has the beauty of cinematic orchestra but with air's unique electronica feel - a calm and masterful piece of work.

A retreat for the better
After the sluggish, experimental '10000hz Legend' this album is a welcome return to more melodic pop territory. As ever, Air do not trade in loud or beaty music but in the smooth, charm-oriented territory that is theirs alone. Even so, 'Venus' is a tentative beginning and sounds a little like a leftover from their previous effort. Thankfully, 'Cherry Blossom Girl' and 'Run' are more fluid and feature gorgeous vocal harmonies, the former benefiting from Air's old ploy of using a female vocalist, the latter possessing an ethereal quality. These are the two best tracks, though most of the others are also of high quality.

Like 'Moon Safari' there are plenty of delightful touches added to the basic electronic backing, though the production gives it a more conventional mainstream feel that 'Moon Safari' avoided. 'Talkie Walkie' does tail off a little with the final two tracks and the wistful lyrics are not especially memorable but it's that bewitching charm that makes it such a good album.

Blissful
Criticisms of Air's music as "empty" and "vacuous" are simply expressions of taste; if you don't happen to like easy listening electronic pop then you won't care much for Air. However, after a decade of activity Air are generally recognised as pretty much the last word in beautifully produced dream pop, and Talkie Walkie is an exquisite example. It's too easy to dismiss this as cheese when so many others cannot surpass - let alone equal - these guys, so unclench that jaw, open your heart (and wallet), and let these blissful sounds wash over you.