Talkie Walkie

Reviewed by:
David Peisner

Has there ever been a band as aptly named as Air? The French duo makes music that is wispy and ethereal. Their clouds of sound don’t overwhelm, pounce, or get in your face; they just sort of hang around. Notice them, don’t notice them—it’s entirely up to you. There’s something noble about this refusal to shove their art down our throats, but their music is always in danger of becoming mere background noise. This is the constant battle on Talkie Walkie. A stark beat and stately piano refrain lead “Venus” away from dull toward hypnotic. The combination of a carefully plucked acoustic guitar and the whoosh of a flute on “Cherry Blossom Girl” is similarly mesmerizing. On the other hand, “Run” rides a wave of electro-gimmickry a little close to new-age massage music, and the drab instrumental “Mike Mills” makes its R.E.M.-bassist namesake come off like Eminem in comparison. Ultimately, though, nothing quells the feeling that this ought to be wafting from the hidden speakers of some New York oxygen bar.

Share