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10,000 Hz Legend
06/06/2001 8:59 PM, Yahoo! Music
Ken Micallef
After the candy sap airs of Moon Safari and the sinister soundtrack to Virgin Suicides, it became increasingly difficult to put a tag on French duo Air. But then, Air claimed allegiance early on to Muzak pioneer Jean Michel-Jarre, while their live performances resembled a clone-gone-wrong between Pink Floyd and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. But 10,000 Hz Legend proves that Air knew what they were doing all along.
While kitsch is never far from the surface, especially when Beck and Buffalo Daughter contribute vocals, the album has a serene sense of purpose centered on airless galactic atmospherics, robotic vocals, and enough synthetic sheen to polish a 10,000 foot pair of polyester slacks. "How Does It Make You Feel" sounds like R2D2 singing love sonnets to a freezer; its chorus is like meowing lovestruck schoolgirls. "Radio #1" follows suit, a cheesy joke that never hits home. Beck shows up on "The Vagabond" and steals the show, harmonica and all.
When the kitsch is finally done, Air make serious computer magic: "Radian" is an Argent-styled symphonic tone poem, "Sex Born Poison" a softcore porn-scene-setter with dulcet acoustic guitars and droids-in-heat dialogue. "People In The City" is classic Air, a slo-mo beat ballad with queasy samples and a mechanically gorgeous chorus. "Wonder Milky Bitch" is the companion to "Sex Born Poison" and the title says it all. "Caramel Prisoner" closes Legend with ricocheting RFI noise and swooshing Pet Sounds vocals. Like Ziggy Stardust drinking white Russians, 10,000 Hz Legend is woozy mood music for outer and inner space.
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