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Air, “Talkie Walkie” (Astralwerks)
[3.5 stars]
The French ambient/electronica duo Air, a.k.a.
Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel, are probably best known to the world
at large for their soundtrack work on the films of Sofia Coppola, including
their contributions to “The Virgin Suicides” and the haunting central theme
of “Lost in Translation.” In the underground dance world, though, fans have
been waiting for them to match or better the lulling mix of Orb or Aphex
Twin-style electronic experimentation, old-fashioned Brian Wilson pop charm
and Pink Floyd psychedelia presented on their strongest album to date,
1998’s debut, “Moon Safari.”
“Talkie Walkie” doesn’t top that disc, but it
comes in as a close second. This time, the pair augments its wonderfully
antiquate analog synthesizer sounds and the sonic washes of newer electronic
gear by lending their own vocals for the first time, and the duo finds its
way once again after 2001’s disappointing “10,000 Hz Legend.” Radiohead
producer Nigel Godrich takes the helm, and the disc builds to a strong close
to “Alone in Kyoto,” the track the pair recorded for “Lost in Translation.”
But the nine tracks that precede that cut, including “Venus,” “Universal
Traveler” and “Mike Mills” (which may be a tribute to R.E.M.’s bassist and
greatest musical talent) are all equally seductive and effective as
beautiful modern background/mood music.
Jim DeRogatis
Poster Children, “No
More Songs About Sleep and Fire” (Hidden Agenda) [3.5 stars]
It’s been easy to take Poster Children for granted for some time now—the
group formed down in Champaign way back in 1987, straddled the transition
from indie heroes to major-label comers during the alternative explosion,
then returned to the ranks of the indies once more post-Lollapalooza. Always
a gripping live act, their success has been more mixed on album. But with
its conscious nod to Talking Heads’ classic “More Song About Buildings and
Food” in the title, “No More Songs About Sleep and Fire” finds the quartet
not only sounding more inspired than ever, but more relevant, neatly
outdoing the likes of newer bands such as Hot Hot Heat, the Rapture and
Interpol who’ve been hailed as part of the “New Wave of New Wave.”
The arty, fractured minimalism of post-punk art-rock (the “old New Wave”?)
lives on in short, brutally efficient but instantly infectious tracks such
as “Jane” and “Fly”—the 12 tracks here whiz by in just over 37 minutes,
conveying a frantic energy that will tempt you to start pogoing around your
living room like the best of the vintage Heads, Gang of Four, Wire or
Richard Hell and the Voidoids.
Jim DeRogatis
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