[review 2004: the honourable mentions]

I never bought Moon Safari and skipped right over 10,000 Hz Legend. I had, however, heard all of Moon Safari, and thought of it as a perfectly disposable piece of ear candy�and I mean that in the nicest way possible. What Moon Safari promised in its title, it delivered in spades, from the spaced-out lounge of “La Femme D’Argent” to the soft vocoded sounds of “Remember.” So when Air’s soundtrack for The Virgin Suicides took a downbeat turn, it started to become clear that behind Moon Safari was a far more serious band screaming to get out.

Think of Talkie Walkie, then, as Moon Safari done in a new way. Instead of the lightheaded atmospherics and the throwaway sounds of “All I Need” and “Sexy Boy,” Talkie Walkie contains more subtantial pieces like “Cherry Blossom Girl” and “Another Day.” Yet Air’s latest effort feels just as cohesive and unified as Moon Safari, and that is the album’s greatest asset. Furthermore, the band’s moved well past the breezy electronic pop of previous efforts, and seem far more interested in simply making thoughtful pop music, electronic or not.