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Every so often an album comes along that actually
burns an image within your life that can never be
erased. One that reminds you of an entire time period.
One that may only be best described through the
soundscapes in which it creates. This, much like
the majority of Air's phenomenal releases, is without
a doubt the case of their latest release Walkie
Talkie.
With each and every breath of Talkie Walkie’s
ten tracks, that visual soundscape is created
without any need for actual visuals. These two
pioneers of electronica meld together atmospheres
in with simplistic layers of sound to the point
of a mind numbing state. Not only does the music
feel as if it has been mutated from some far off
space factory, but the vocals also take on the
quality of something otherworldly in all aspects.
Two of the tracks are by far some of this French
duo’s best, and have been sticking with
me for days now. "Cherry Blossom Girl,"
which flows with one of the most beautiful guitar
melodies I've ever heard in electronica and dreamy
vocal qualities, brings me back to the days of
"The Virgin Suicides" (Air were the
masters behind that film’s amazing soundtrack).
The second track of astonishing quality would
be "Surfing On A Rocket," which manages
to make the listener feel as if they are traveling
at light speed through the cosmos splashing deeply
into the creamiest milky way of your imagination.
There’s no doubt that these guys are masters
at what they do - successfully creating a genre
of music that will never be fully realized through
words, as the music itself needs no definition.
However, Talkie Walkie is not their best effort.
I believe it will take a miracle to supercede
the affects of Moon Safari, but it's damn close.
After producing a total of 40 songs and narrowing
it all down for to just 10, I can't totally complain.
Any space alien out in the vast universe would
agree. . . . Air is the language of the stars.
www.astralwerks.com
-Ryan Policky, April 22, 2004
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