Talkie Walkie Explained

Talkie Walkie
Type:	studio
Artist:	Air
Cover:	Air - Talkie Walkie.png
Recorded:	2003
Studio:	Revolvair (Paris) Ocean Way (Hollywood)
Genre:	Space pop^[1] chill-out^[2] ambient^[3] new-age^[4] baroque pop^[5]
Length:	43:27
Label:	Source Virgin
Producer:	Air Nigel Godrich
Prev Title:	10 000 Hz Legend
Prev Year:	2001
Next Title:	Pocket Symphony
Next Year:	2007

Talkie Walkie is the third studio album by French electronic music duo Air, released on 26 January 2004 by Virgin Records. "Alone in Kyoto" was included on the soundtrack to the 2003 film Lost in Translation, and "Run" was used in both the Veronica Mars episode "Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner" and the 2004 French film Lila Says. "Talkie-walkie" means walkie-talkie in French.

As of November 2006, Talkie Walkie had sold 161,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.^[6] The album shipped 405,000 copies outside France within two weeks of its release, according to Virgin Records.^[7]

Critical reception

Talkie Walkie received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 75, based on 29 reviews.^[8] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone called the album "excellent" and commented that Air "return to what they do best: elegantly moody soundtrack music for imaginary films." NME reviewer Piers Martin commented, "It is light and fluffy, of course, but tender and romantic, synthetic and soulful, too. It sounds, effortlessly, new and different, fresh and focused, clean and Zen, no doubt the outcome of Godin and Dunckel's decision to play and programme all the instruments and perform all the vocals on the record themselves in Paris without any external assistance...". Praise was given to the subtle touch producer Nigel Godrich and string arranger Michel Colombier presumably brought to the album at its final stage, and the more personal and tighter songwriting.

Pitchfork named Talkie Walkie the 20th best album of 2004,^[9] and later placed it at number 191 on its list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s.^[10]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Talkie Walkie.^[11]

Musicians

• Malik Mezzadri – flute
• Jessica Banks – additional vocals
  • Brian Reitzell – ride cymbal Jason Falkner – bass
• Lisa Papineau – additional vocals
• Joey Waronker – percussion
• Michel Colombier – piano ; string arrangements

Technical

• Air – production
• Nigel Godrich – additional recordings, production, mixing
• Darrell Thorp – mixing assistance ; street sounds recording
• Bob Ludwig – mastering

Artwork

• Richard Prince – cover art
• Aaron Klein – technical assistance
• Claude Gassian – cover photo
• Jenna Felling – interior photos
• Marc Teissier du Cros – polaroids
• Roger Gorman – design

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2004)! scope="col"

Peak position
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)^[12]	51
European Albums (Billboard)^[13]	1
Greek Albums (IFPI)^[14]	22
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[15]	146
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[16]	56

Year-end charts

Chart (2004)! scope="col"

Position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[17]	66
French Albums (SNEP)^[18]	103
UK Albums (OCC)^[19]	128
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)^[20]	5

Notes and References

1. Web site: Air, Talkie Walkie | Music | the Guardian .
2. News: AIR - Talkie Walkie .
3. News: AIR - Talkie Walkie .
4. Web site: Pitchfork Staff . The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s . . October 2, 2009. Air...[are] now the de facto gold standard of new-age Gallic pop...Talkie Walkie slipped by relatively unheralded; with its baroque arrangements.... April 27, 2023.
5. Web site: Pitchfork Staff . The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s . . October 2, 2009. Air...[are] now the de facto gold standard of new-age Gallic pop...Talkie Walkie slipped by relatively unheralded; with its baroque arrangements.... April 27, 2023.
6. Cohen . Jonathan . Air Composes A 'Pocket Symphony' . . 16 November 2006 . 6 September 2017.
7. Martin . James . French Export Office Targets Turnaround . Billboard . 116 . 9 . 28 February 2004 . 60 . 0006-2510 . Google Books.
8. Web site: Talkie Walkie by Air Reviews and Tracks . . 14 May 2016.
9. Web site: Top 50 Albums of 2004: 20–11 . Pitchfork . 31 December 2004 . 1 October 2009.
10. Web site: The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200–151 . Pitchfork . 2 October 2009 . 23 September 2021.
11. Talkie Walkie . liner notes . . . 2004 . 72435 966002 8.
12. Web site: Oficiální česká hitparáda IFPI ČR – 10. týden 2004 . cs . Marketing & Media . 5 March 2004 . 1 August 2019.
13. Sexton . Paul . Air Blows Away Dido's Euro Chart Reign . Billboard . 5 February 2004 . 1 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190801182703/https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1445884/air-blows-away-didos-euro-chart-reign . 1 August 2019.
14. Web site: Top 50 Ελληνικών και Ξένων Άλμπουμ . Top 50 Greek and Foreign Albums . el . . 4–10 April 2004 . 1 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20040411175100/http://www.ifpi.gr/chart04.htm . 11 April 2004.
15. Web site: http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/46017/ranking/cd_album/ . ja:エールのアルバム売り上げランキング . Air album sales ranking . ja . . 25 February 2012 . https://archive.today/20120912194019/http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/46017/ranking/cd_album/ . 12 September 2012.
16. Web site: Top 100 Albumes – Lista de los titulos mas vendidos del 26.01.04 al 01.02.04 . PDF . es . . 25 August 2022.
17. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2004 – Albums . nl . . 25 February 2012.
18. Web site: Classement Albums – année 2004 . fr . . 25 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110919191913/http://www.disqueenfrance.com/fr/pag-259376-Classements-Annuels.html?year=2004&type=2 . 19 September 2011.
19. Web site: UK Year-End Charts 2004 . . 4 . 1 August 2019.
20. Web site: 2004 Year End Charts – Top Electronic Albums . Billboard.biz . 25 December 2004 . 25 February 2012 . https://archive.today/20120724095133/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/yearendcharts/2004/elptitl.jsp . 24 July 2012.