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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
French duo, Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicholas Godin's 1998 debut was a glorious anachronism. An analogue bubblebath of synths, saxophones, xylophones, fuzzy guitars and all manner of louche melodies it managed to be both original and utterly retro. 10,000 Hz Legend is the exact meeting point between wearying experimentation and heart-warming melancholia. There's nothing as charming as "Sexy Boy" or as generous as "You Make It Easy" but if you skip the first two tracks, which have more than a touch of Pink Floyd about them, there are a few twisted gems here. Amid the sprawling mass of shrill melody and Kraftwerkian computer voices that is "Lucky and Unhappy", the compressed trash-pop of Radio #1 (a brash cuss down of that infamous institution) and shimmering folk-funk of "The Vagabond" sung by Beck, verge on classic. As for "Sex Born Poison" sung by Japanese indie duo Buffalo Daughter, there's something about this particularly bewitching blend of cool female vocals and a Bernard Psycho Herrmann soundtrack that is out of time, beautiful and in your face. Though 10,000 Hz Legend as a whole is inconsistent and a little bit "aren't we weird?", Air have certainly crafted an inventive album worth hearing. --Reuben Dessay
Product Description
AIR 10 000 Hz Legend (2001 European 11-track CD album from French chill out duo featuring the single Radio #1 and following on from their Moon Safari debut & The Virgin Suicides soundtrack albums picture sleeve CDV2945)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
A rather grand departure from Moon Safari, gone are the kitsch ditties and gently melodies that Air are renowned for. Instead we are faced with an entirely different creature; dark and atmospheric masterpieces are the flavour du jour at Air HQ! Personally, there is nothing more amazing than to discover a group experimenting with sounds, technology and expanding upon their own musical limitations/repetoire; in this respect Air cannot be faulted. 10,000 Hz Legend is a demanding and complex album, full of layers and unusual charm, and cannot be fully appreciated after just one listening. You will have to persevere, but ultimately you will be rewarded. The single "Radio #1" is as "pop" as it gets, almost tongue-in-cheek material. "The Vagabond" featuring Beck is one of the album's many highlights, as is "Happy and Unlucky". "Radian" an instrumental piece - is something one would not expect of Air - has what can only be described as an immense sonic feeling to it and is truly an amazing song because of this. In short, the album is a "must" if you enjoy listening to an album for the first few times and thrive on feeling the "fear" of incomprehension... it will all make sense eventually, part of the Air masterplan no doubt. In a word, IMPRESSIVE!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
By the end of the year it'll be winning awards but it takes time to get into Air's latest offering. Smacks of Pink Floyd, The Stranglers and Serge Gainsbourg with those cheeky "air-like" elements from before make this is a sleeping classic, I can understand why the number of reviews has been limited as it's impossible to categorise. There are a number of stunning moments on this album, but because each track is so unique it takes a while before you get your head around the subtleties. Radian is a classic, and in many ways vintage AIR, Sex Born Poison is incredibly original as is Wonder Milky Bitch, who's hook gets under the skin on the third listen. The first track is simply brilliant, and having seen them open with it at a recent gig in London makes you realise just how talented these gallic chaps are. If you liked Moon Safari you'll love this album - eventually!
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
To say this album is worse than Moon Safari does depend on whether you actually found Moon Safari to be any good in the first place. Yes, it was, but it was background music that required nothing from the listener. 10 000hz Legend may well be slightly harder to get into but it is music to actually listen to rather than to have as an accompaniment to holiday programmes and adverts.
Electronic Performers features stunning string arrangements and a fantastic thick sludgy texture, Sex Born Poison is probably the best song of all time with amazing robotic drums and beautiful vocals, and the rest all very good especially Radio #1, The Vagabond and Don't be Light.
There is no bad point to this album. Saying it's 'too Pink Floyd' is a bizarre comment as a) pink floyd are good, and b) however much they deny it, Air do sound pretty prog, and what is wrong with that?
Fusion of genres can only be a good thing, especially when it's as successful as this album.
Electronic Performers features stunning string arrangements and a fantastic thick sludgy texture, Sex Born Poison is probably the best song of all time with amazing robotic drums and beautiful vocals, and the rest all very good especially Radio #1, The Vagabond and Don't be Light.
There is no bad point to this album. Saying it's 'too Pink Floyd' is a bizarre comment as a) pink floyd are good, and b) however much they deny it, Air do sound pretty prog, and what is wrong with that?
Fusion of genres can only be a good thing, especially when it's as successful as this album.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
Just got this for Christmas. Wasn't too sure what to expect because although I liked Moon Safari I found it all a bit too straightforward - pretty songs with some strange noises now and again. This, on the other hand, is completely different. It still has familiar Air trademarks but somehow they now sit as a cornerstone for something really original and special. These guys are excellent musicians and great song writers. It did take a while for me to appreciate this (a good ten listens or so) but now I am at that wonderful point between knowing the songs well enough to remember them and yet still discovering more each time I listen to them. And there is so much to discover...
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
i bought this album a couple of years back,after hearing moon safari.it was so bad,i took it back to the shop.a few years on,with my music tastes matured,i bought it again.its amazing.its rare i buy an album that i like every song on,but this is one of them.it totally blew me away.i usually pick numbers of tracks that are best,but all of this is good.number 7 is the stand-out track for me.such a small song,that turns into this huge,mind blowing orchestral number.buy it!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By M. Wilding
Format:Audio CD
I bought this album on the grounds of Moon safari, that was bought on the grounds of my listening to Zero7, etc. And I love this one the most. Dark haunting electrics that flow along side the steady strum of gutairs. Not all the songs send tingles down the back but the ones that do, really do. This is an album for those who like the more haunting and atmospheric melodies in life as oppossed to the poppy 'Top of the pops' tunes that are advertised and pushed towards the masses. I recommend this album to the people who like real tunes, and that hate mass pop. Fans of the darker Depeche Mode will understand!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By G. Andreou
Format:Audio CD
If you play this album expecting another Moon Safari, you will be shocked. Because of this I was disappointed at first, but then I began to appreciate the album for what it was.
There are a handful of tracks that ruin the album. These are Radio #1, which sounds amateurish, Vagabond, a good track but it's completely out of place on this album, and Wonder Milky Bitch, which is just plain stupid!
But if you ignore these tracks you're left with a surprisingly good mix of tunes. Air have changed and evolved from their Moon Safari days and they announce their transition into their new electro style proudly with their opening track, Electronic Performers. And it pays off, with strong beats and good soundscapes. How Does it Make You Feel is similarly good but with a slower tempo. Some may not like the whispering in this tune but I think it sounds good.
There's a beautiful haunting sound on several of the tracks, such as How Does it Make You Feel, Lucky and Unhappy and Sex Born Poison. The latter, despite being quite a dark track, is my favourite of the album and has great female vocals in both French and English.
Radian is an epic track with a long slow build up and then a dramatic entry via some great sounding drums. It is one of only one or two tracks that sounds anything like Moon Safari, with its guitar, flutes and strings, and it's one about five outstanding tracks on this album. And for these alone I reckon it's worth buying.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Understated and Underated
Air played a blinder here - they did not try to make another Moon Safari. Although there are obvious similarities this one is a lot more subtle and it took me a few listen before I... Read more
Published on 29 April 2011 by Ciaran H
5.0 out of 5 stars
Here we are now......imitate us.
There are fans of Moon Safari, and there are fans of AIR. You can tell which is which by the number of stars given to this masterpiece. Read more
Published on 16 Nov 2010 by M. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars
vibrant flow of Air
This album is not as even as Moon Safari which was a spectacular electronica release of 1998. Moon Safari is not only an absolute classic, but I feel like it was I ground breaking... Read more
Published on 11 Nov 2009 by Deven Gadula
5.0 out of 5 stars
Isolation
The fact that this album has created more of a stir than any other Air album, except 'Moon Safari', makes it good. Read more
Published on 21 April 2009 by Mr. S. M. Rogers
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great album, but don't expect Moon Safari
I've only just got round to buying 10'000HZ Legend, but I'm so glad I did.
This album is a slight departure from Moon Safari. Read more
This album is a slight departure from Moon Safari. Read more
Published on 20 April 2007 by M. Hamer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Airs best album
This is their best album. A lot of people say they liked moon safari but couldnt get into this. Well sorry but they have a very shallow appreciation of music.
Published on 23 Mar 2007 by Mr. S. Henderson
4.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite Air album
This is my favorite Air album precisely because it is so experimental. It sounds like nothing else out there. Read more
Published on 16 Mar 2007 by Fudo Myo
5.0 out of 5 stars
pure prog!
this is the nearest album to real dam fine prog i've heard in years, only steve hacketts watch the sky can equal with such excellent true musicianship,
floyd lives in there... Read more
floyd lives in there... Read more
Published on 4 Oct 2006 by A. kennedy
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not on my wavelength...oh, hold on
Given the gaps between albums no one could accuse Air of being in a hurry and neither is their music. Indeed, listening to this album results in an urge to wind them up. Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2006 by D. J. H. Thorn
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent piece of work!
I have read many reviews of this CD, most saying its good but not as good as “Moon Safari”. Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2006
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