Air

Since emerging in 1996 as Air, the prolific duo of Jean-Benoit “JB” Dunckel and Nicolas Godin has tended to veer in a slightly different direction with each release, going from loungey sounds (Moon Safari) to psychedelic musings (The Virgin Suicides soundtrack) to crackling experiments (City Reading: Tre Storie Western with Italian author Alessandro Baricco). Based on a need to keep reinventing themselves to avoid boredom, their latest, Talkie Walkie, takes another turn in the many that make up the corkscrew road they are traversing. All gentle, pretty softness, the minimalist, acoustic-driven album represents the one-on-one connection between Dunckel and Godin. It’s a collection of uncomplicated, modern love songs that offer sheer simplicity through delicate and emotional messages. Sung by Dunckel, the sensual dimensions of “Another Day” will make you want to slowly explore your lover’s dimensions; the caressing, almost eerie “Biological” will bring chills to your neck like fluttering kisses, and the hollow-sounding horns on “Cherry Blossom Girl” will simulate heavy breathing blown into your ear.