Biography

For optimum pleasure, listen to 'Talkie Walkie' by Air while: drifting in a hot air balloon over the Loire Valley on a bright spring morning, walking with no particular purpose through the parks of central London in the crispness of winter, or making love (naturally, this is Air we're talking about).

'Talkie Walkie' is the album with which many dearly hoped Air would return. That is to say, for a group defined solely by their recorded output, it is not as turbulent and challenging as their last, '10,000 Hz Legend', yet it finds the Parisians refining that sensuous medium of expression which made 'Moon Safari' such an unforgettable debut. These ten gorgeous new cinematic pop songs, written by two musicians enjoying total mastery of their studio and sound, are direct, intimate and romantic, the pair's most rewarding collection to date. Nicolas Godin and JB Dunckel's sympathetic marrying of classic songwriting and gentle electronic experimentation has resulted in an album that nestles somewhere between Nick Drake and Aphex Twin, that links 10cc to Boards Of Canada, but which possesses a simple but powerful emotional resonance that belongs uniquely to Air.

'Talkie Walkie' arrives after two and a half years of considerable activity for Air. In 2001, to promote '10,000 Hz Legend', they embarked upon their second world tour, playing over 100 shows. 'We need to tour to burn the songs and then on the ashes you can build something else.,' says Godin. Performing nightly as a five-piece live band was a tough new experience that forced them to improve as musicians. Godin and Dunckel shared the vocals, which led to them singing on the entire new album for the first time.

Last year, ensconced daily in their Paris studio, they wrote 40 songs. Eighteen were used as the acoustic backdrop to the reading of Italian writer Alessandro Barrico's Three Stories novel following a request from the author, whose literature Air adore. A further 19 electronic mood pieces form the score to the acclaimed contemporary ballet Near Life Experience by the internationally renowned French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, which is presently touring Europe.

'Talkie Walkie', then, is the record they made for themselves and nobody else and it sees Air once again rewriting the rule book - they are keen to point out that they never repeat themselves musically. Air admit to being disheartened by the reaction to '10,000 Hz Legend', an ambitious and complex album which not everyone understood but of which they're immensely proud. 'Apparently, people think it is complicated and that makes us sad because we really thought it was our best music,' sighs Godin.

This time, in a manner recalling 'Moon Safari', the pair play and program all the instruments and perform all the vocals, with Dunckel providing the lion's share. Hence the title 'Talkie Walkie', a reference to Godin and Dunckel's almost telepathic sense of communication during the recording process.

This scaled-down approach to songwriting and their return to minimalism, introduces a new-found clarity to their music. Songs such as the tender and melancholy 'Run', the deliciously synthetic highlight, 'Biological', the beautiful 'Cherry Blossom Girl' and the sensuous 'Venus' speak of love, and the basic need to be loved, in heartbreakingly tender terms.

'This album is about love, about relations between human beings. This is what we want to say to girls but we don't dare to.'

Two of the instrumental tracks, 'Mike Mills' and 'Alone In Kyoto', were originally written for film soundtracks. The latter, which closes the album, appears in Sofia Coppola's recent movie, Lost In Translation. Air provided the soundtrack to her dreamy debut feature, The Virgin Suicides, in 2000. 'Mike Mills' was written for their good friend Mike Mills' first film, which may or may not be in production, they're unsure.

External assistance on 'Talkie Walkie' came in the form of veteran string arranger Michel Colombier, whose previous employers include Serge Gainsbourg, Madonna, The Beach Boys and Prince, and from Nigel Godrich. Radiohead producer Godrich fine-tuned 'Talkie Walkie' in his favourite Los Angeles studio, Oceanway, extracting the album's essence in a handful of remarkably swift sessions.

Most encouraging of all, perhaps, is the idea that Air are only now attempting to realise their potential as musicians and songwriters, as artists. In an era in which over-hyped careerist rock bands struggle to say anything, let alone anything meaningful, Air, eight years after their debut single 'Modular Mix', appear to operate on an entirely different plain, another level, zapping us now and again with vital musical messages.

So lie back, relax, absorb yourself in the utter beauty of Talkie Walkie and remember why you fell in love with Air in the first place.