Air: JB Dunckel, Nicolas Godin. Additional personnel includes: Jessica Banks, Lisa Papineau (vocals); Malik Mezzadri (flute); Michel Colombier (piano); Joey Waronker (percussion). Recorded at Revolvair Studio, Paris, France. After the ambitious robotic quirkiness of 10,000 HZ LEGEND, French duo Air streamline their sound with TALKIE WALKIE, a dreamy outing that hearkens back to the group's revered debut, MOON SAFARI. Gone are the guest vocalists, replaced by Air themselves, Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin, who gleefully distort their voices to suit their unique soundscapes. "Venus" sets the tone with its gently gliding keyboards, spare beats, and light acoustic guitar strumming. In fact, this instrumentation supplies the foundation for many of TALKIE WALKIE's tracks, including the catchy "Cherry Blossom Girl," the bossa-nova-based "Universal Traveler," and the haunting "Alone in Kyoto" (from the lauded film LOST IN TRANSLATION). Working with renowned producer Nigel Godrich, Dunckel and Godin have crafted a collection of atmospheric compositions poised at the halfway point between waking and dreaming.
Rolling Stone (2/5/04, p.56) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "[A]ir return to what they do best: elegantly moody soundtrack music for imaginary films....TALKIE WALKIE is rich, somber headphone pop..." Entertainment Weekly (1/23/04, p.99) - "[Producer Nigel Godrich] helps the French duo bring their soft-focus sound into sharper relief....the dreamy space pop will have you floating in the clouds, if not above them." - Rating: A- Q (2/04, p.99) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[E]motive mood music that provides a roadmap to love, loneliness, all the difficult stuff.
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Talkie Walkie - Air
