Talkie Walkie - Air > Reviews > Air - Walkie Talkie reviewed

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it rate alongside the competition	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	At last !  They have produced an album like Moon Safari
Disadvantages:	It isn't Moon Safari !  !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I like chill out music. I am very much a rock man but chill out music retains a special place in my heart for when I want to......well, chill out. Now Air are a French band that are best known for their album Moon Safari, an exquisite collection of chilled songs exemplified by such classics as Sexy Boy and All I Need. That was an album full of great songs.

But that was then and this is now. Three albums have passed between then and now, all failing to live up to the hype. All, it seems, people wanted was another Moon Safari. Could they ever do another...

1. Venus 9/10
A great start, classic chill out, slightly eerie but, if you have had a hard day at work and just want to kick back on the chair and forget about everything, this is your sort of song. Very simplistic in music and words (we could be together, lovers forever). Synth, mixed with a bass beat that follows the piano and simple drum beat. A very moody, surly piece yet still chilled out.

2. Cherry Blossom Girl 9.5/10
I don't like giving ten out of tens as I feel a song has to have no faults whatsoever. The only thing that can be vaguely annoying is that the song doesn't progress quite as much as I would like it to. It is a very small criticism though. An absolutely excellent song for it's genre. Even the title paints a beautiful picture. Guitar picking is the main part and very light drumming.

3. Run 8/10
Another great song. Their gallic background is more telling with this as you can hear an accent in the singing. Slightly eerie with an almost enya-ish sort of part when the singing fades each time. However, that should not take anything away from it! Definately an album track, but that is not to say that it isn't a great song. It just isn't the sort of song you would use as a showcase for the album as it isn't anywhere near as radio-friendly as something like Cherry Blossom Girl.

4. Universal Traveller 8/10
Straight away it sounds like a lighter song with a stringed instrument of some sort plucking its way to the start and beyond. A slightly strange way of saying universal traveller (u-nee - ver -sal traaaa-vler) but hey, i'm in a mellow mood so i'm happy to let it be! This still has that enya-ish touch to it with the backing singing being very light and wistful, and once again not a single but these sort of albums are all about the album, not a collection of individual songs.

5. Mike Mills 7/10
No singing in this one which makes for a nice bit of variety. However, it sounds a bit too much of a musical interlude in the album for me to like it too much, like one of those tracks on (What's The Story) Morning Glory where you feel you are only getting half the song. A bit of a strange thing to say, I know, what with it being the fourth longest song on the album, but it does not have that full song feeling you get with something like the previous songs. Very like an orchestral piece that they have jazzed up a bit.

6. Surfing On A Rocket 9/10
This is more like it! A song I have found singing in my head often. I don't know if it's me but does anyone else think he sounds like he is saying "surfing on a wocket". Maybe it's the latest surf board in France... It is the second single on the album and it isn't difficult to understand why. It's catchy and infectious beat is slightly more upbeat from the last and it simply has a great sound. I also like the thought of surfing on a rocket.

7. Another Day 8/10
Another moody one. Perhaps they are fed up with everyone trying to compare their albums to Moon Safari. Interesting contrast with the angry music and the calming French voice telling me "it's just another day". A heavy bass is the main instrument, with an odd synth making it's own tune. A good song none the less.

8. Alpha Beta Gaga 7.5/10
Definately the most different of all the songs, if just for the whistling-man-and-violin duet for the lead part. No singing again but I think it is a ukelele at the end, showing that Air really are the best at this kind of music even if only on originality. It isn't their greatest song as once again it doesn't really go anywhere. But it does not disgrace the album and follows the chilled out theme.

9. Biological 8.5/10
Is that the ukelele out again?! But it really works for this sad song. This and Venus seem to be the only songs that are more to do with love than anything else. It is a mournful song which begins the end of the album. As with all Air songs it uses a very mood-based type of music which is best heard when you have time on your hands and this is a great example of this. Possibly a future single, if cut down for radio.

10. Alone In Kyoto 8/10
Definately an album-finisher. It hasn't got any singing other than backing singing. Alone In Kyoto is the sort of song that you have on in the background and don't really notice it has finished, along with the album, until about five minutes later when you are in a silent room. However, you sense that is what it is exactly designed to do and so it is very effective. Uses a subtle sound of ocean waves in the background at the end to slowly ease you out and make you feel calm and refreshed. Not a single though!

To summarise, Walkie Talkie is a great album that is a laster. However this is only on the proviso that you do not compare it constantly to Moon Safari. To me it is an extension of it and, whilst may not be better on the whole, is still a damn good album. It is worth a buy to remind you of who are still the best chill out band there is when they produce albums like this.