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22 December 2023
Is it okay to like the French again? I mean, I know that we weren't supposed to like them a while back because of that whole "we’re savage killers and they’re not okay with that" thing, but are we back to calling them "French" fries again? Or do we still hate them?
Well, even if the French are still our mortal enemies, I’m fortunate enough to have a BRAIN AND THOUGHT PROCESS OF MY OWN. And what my brain tells me is that I like these French cats from Air.
Yep, I lucked out, ya’ll. The first CD to land in my mailbox in 2004 was none other than Talkie Walkie (Astralwerks), the newest full-length release from Nicolas Godin and J.B. Dunckel.
Their last album, 10,000 Hz Legend, failed to deliver the punch the duo had hoped. (I dug the album, to be honest. They do a little tag-team event on there with Beck; a tune called "Vagabond". It’s one of the best goddamn songs I’ve ever heard. I’d drown a newborn in a bucket of salsa to be able to listen to it.) But their fans' lack of interest aside, Air chose to tour exhaustively to help promote what they thought to be some of their finest work to date.
With their extensive touring they learned something along the way: how to become better musicians.
This isn’t to say that their previous albums are lacking. I loved their debut album, Moon Safari, and the soundtrack they did for Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides is one of the darkest, most haunting albums I own. But now, with Talkie Walkie, the kids are grown-up. They’re leaving the house, and even paying their own bills and insurance. They’re growns-up and they’re growns-up and they’re growns-up!
Air learned how to sing and play their instruments better, thus honing their sound into something more. This is not the same old Air your grandkids listened to. This is a new level, people. And it’s beautiful.
The album is almost completely void of guest musicians because, well, they just don’t really need them anymore. And Talkie Walkie is the first Air album to ever feature Nicolas and J.B. exclusively on lead vocals.
“Venus” opens the album up. Minimal piano and female back-up vocals wrap the opening track up tightly. Thematically, it’s light and spacious, like much of their work. But the music hangs thickly in the air. “Cherry Blossom Girl” is supposed to be the first single off the album. It’s a weird tune, man. Like what you’d hear on Muzak in the waiting room of your dentist’s office if his office just happened to be on Neptune. It’s a solid song, but, like most singles from albums, it’s one of the least interesting to me. Far more interesting is the tune “Run”. If Richard D. James of Aphex Twin and Air had a fucked-up son, this is what his theme song would be. “Another Day” takes us back to The Virgin Suicides album, with slow, mellow beats and creepy vocals. “Alpha Beta Gaga” is the guilty pleasure on the album. Featuring no vocals other than whistling, this is the tune that will make you slow your car down to a crawl to allow you take in the world around you. Surely, this song will be in a commercial for some product soon. Take my word for it. And the album wraps up with “Alone In Kyoto”, which was used in Coppola’s newest film, Lost In Translation. A solid instrumental piece, it brings the album down slowly. And it does so successfully. It’s a perfect track to end the album on.
As if all of this weren’t enough, the CD (or at least the one I got) comes with a 35-minute DVD. Featuring a documentary done by J.B.’s brother, Bruno Dunckel, the DVD follows Air on their 2002 tour through Europe. It only features five songs: “Electronic Performers”, “Talisman”, “Don’t Be Light”, “People In The City”, and “La Femme d’Argent”. It’s not a huge amount of extras, but any amount is appreciated. It’s edited well, the sound is great, and it’s a nice added bonus to an already solid CD.
You know, I don’t care what my government tells me. I like these French kids. Hopefully they’ll keep making more music.
CHECK AIR HERE.
PURCHASE THIS OR SIMILAR ITEMS
Well, even if the French are still our mortal enemies, I’m fortunate enough to have a BRAIN AND THOUGHT PROCESS OF MY OWN. And what my brain tells me is that I like these French cats from Air.
Yep, I lucked out, ya’ll. The first CD to land in my mailbox in 2004 was none other than Talkie Walkie (Astralwerks), the newest full-length release from Nicolas Godin and J.B. Dunckel.
Their last album, 10,000 Hz Legend, failed to deliver the punch the duo had hoped. (I dug the album, to be honest. They do a little tag-team event on there with Beck; a tune called "Vagabond". It’s one of the best goddamn songs I’ve ever heard. I’d drown a newborn in a bucket of salsa to be able to listen to it.) But their fans' lack of interest aside, Air chose to tour exhaustively to help promote what they thought to be some of their finest work to date.
With their extensive touring they learned something along the way: how to become better musicians.
This isn’t to say that their previous albums are lacking. I loved their debut album, Moon Safari, and the soundtrack they did for Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides is one of the darkest, most haunting albums I own. But now, with Talkie Walkie, the kids are grown-up. They’re leaving the house, and even paying their own bills and insurance. They’re growns-up and they’re growns-up and they’re growns-up!
Air learned how to sing and play their instruments better, thus honing their sound into something more. This is not the same old Air your grandkids listened to. This is a new level, people. And it’s beautiful.
The album is almost completely void of guest musicians because, well, they just don’t really need them anymore. And Talkie Walkie is the first Air album to ever feature Nicolas and J.B. exclusively on lead vocals.
“Venus” opens the album up. Minimal piano and female back-up vocals wrap the opening track up tightly. Thematically, it’s light and spacious, like much of their work. But the music hangs thickly in the air. “Cherry Blossom Girl” is supposed to be the first single off the album. It’s a weird tune, man. Like what you’d hear on Muzak in the waiting room of your dentist’s office if his office just happened to be on Neptune. It’s a solid song, but, like most singles from albums, it’s one of the least interesting to me. Far more interesting is the tune “Run”. If Richard D. James of Aphex Twin and Air had a fucked-up son, this is what his theme song would be. “Another Day” takes us back to The Virgin Suicides album, with slow, mellow beats and creepy vocals. “Alpha Beta Gaga” is the guilty pleasure on the album. Featuring no vocals other than whistling, this is the tune that will make you slow your car down to a crawl to allow you take in the world around you. Surely, this song will be in a commercial for some product soon. Take my word for it. And the album wraps up with “Alone In Kyoto”, which was used in Coppola’s newest film, Lost In Translation. A solid instrumental piece, it brings the album down slowly. And it does so successfully. It’s a perfect track to end the album on.
As if all of this weren’t enough, the CD (or at least the one I got) comes with a 35-minute DVD. Featuring a documentary done by J.B.’s brother, Bruno Dunckel, the DVD follows Air on their 2002 tour through Europe. It only features five songs: “Electronic Performers”, “Talisman”, “Don’t Be Light”, “People In The City”, and “La Femme d’Argent”. It’s not a huge amount of extras, but any amount is appreciated. It’s edited well, the sound is great, and it’s a nice added bonus to an already solid CD.
You know, I don’t care what my government tells me. I like these French kids. Hopefully they’ll keep making more music.
CHECK AIR HERE.
PURCHASE THIS OR SIMILAR ITEMS
artid
2039
Old Image
6_6_air.jpg
issue
vol 6 - issue 06 (feb 2004)
section
entertainmental