10,000 Hz Legend

Air | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 29, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Astralwerks
• ASIN: B00005IABM
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (158 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,425 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #71 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Ambient Pop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Previously Air's Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin made softcore collages of Pink Floyd-ish synth tones and droning French lounge pop. 10,000 Hz Legend goes further out, attaining new heights of cheesy, Space Odyssey-like computer music. Like Kraftwerk skinny-dipping with French nymphet Jane Birkin and Star Wars's R2D2, Legend swells with mad robo-love, following a computer romance amid droll tributes to vacant pop culture. Beck's appearance on "The Vagabond" proves the Loser only works well solo, making Air disappear on their own album. The absurd "Radio #1" and the sappy chorus in "How Does It Make You Feel?" could snuggle beside Celine Dion's latest yawner. But there is magic: "Radian" is a Cluster-like orb of cooing flutes, gentle rhythms, and a ghostly vocal. "Electric Performers" offers clunky electronic beats and the lines "We are the synchronizers / Machines give me some freedom." The catchy "People in the City" sounds like Mirwais producing Serge Gainsbourg, while "Don't Be Light" recalls electro Krautrockers Neu! Feeding us Moog merengue and Reese's Pieces rhythms, Air remain sweet computer boys to the core. --Ken Micallef

Product Description

Japanese edition of the highly anticipated second proper album from the Parisian duo includes one bonus track, 'The Way You Look Tonight' which is unavailable on any format for their first single, 'Radio #1'. 12 tracks in all. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New Air...........Interesting, May 29, 2001

By 

md (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 10,000 Hz Legend (Audio CD)

Well this is interesting. They said it themselves: it's not Moon Safari. If you want music references then it leans a lot more towards The Virgin Suicides, but it's not that either. Basically we're looking at a more "up and at `em" album here. It's full of tight drums and good rhythms, with the usual complement of computer voices, vocoders, and this time some really nice vocals too. The usual groove comes back in now and again, but if you ever saw Air live you should recognise some of their on-stage music in this release.

There are some downsides to this record, and I couldn't help but pull out the excellent Moog Cookbook, Logan's Sanctuary, some Beck, and then start comparing names in the credits. I don't know how much of Manning, Kehew, Reitzel and Meldal-Johnsen's blood is in these tracks, but I'd sure like to find out.

Summary: You might as well buy it. Chances are you're over twenty-two and can afford it anyway. But if you don't own any other Air albums, then buy Moon Safari first. everything else will make more sense after that...........and make sure you own Midnight Vultures by Beck, just 'cause it's great.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hz so good..., June 5, 2001

By 

Shannon Daniels Braden (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 10,000 Hz Legend (Audio CD)

damn ... this album is fantastic - avant-garde weird and classically beautiful at the same time - they obviously don't care about maintaining the MOR audience they earned with the hit "all i need"; and "radio #1", the most commercial song on this album (i guess), ain't gonna set any radio playlists on fire (at least not in the u.s.), but what a rewarding piece o' work ... id've loved to see beth hirsch guest on a track or two like she did on 'moon safari', but beck does a great job on "the vagabond" and "don't be light", 2 of my personal faves ... "electronic performers" and "how does it make you feel?" are psychedelic masterpieces, and "radian" is as gorgeous as anything bach or beethoven ever did ... great art is made at the extremes, and this record IS extreme : fans of 'moon safari' may be put off on 1st listen - but give this a chance - it's truly wonderful and, coupled with great recent music from mirwais, phoenix, and daft punk, it can only make ya wonder what they're puttin in the water over there in france...

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You want original....look no further, June 13, 2001

By 

"video_head" - See all my reviews

This review is from: 10,000 Hz Legend (Audio CD)

Ok I Rarely, RARELY buy a cd that I preview at a listening station. Nowadays its harder for my ear to accept the same old true and tired formula. I decided to listen to AIR on a lark and thought to myself "I will probably be listening to this for about 15 seconds." When I hit play I was transported to a new world of sound that my ear hasnt been to. Needless to say my curiosity was on red alert and I started listening to every song soaking in as much of this neo sonic country as I could. I must have looked funny staring dumbfounded at the CD case. The album I was gonna buy before I found this was slipping further and further away from my fingers until it rested rejected out of reach. After my journey I went to the counter to buy 10,000 Hz Legend from the mortals. I got to my car and popped in the CD and immediately I was transported to Airs universe. The super duo have traits that remind me of pink floyd and kraftwerk. They have pink floyds pioneering spirit and Kraftwerks brain for bizzare arrangements. However the sounds on this album is uniquely their own. The record in my opinion is brilliant. Its unlike anything I have ever heard, it seems to have a life of its own. I havent been this awestruck since rediscovering Radiohead via Ok Computer. The music is very profound and its not begging to be mainstream or asking for your acceptance, it doesn't care its on a whole other level. Air should be proud of themselves they have created a very original album that will stand the test of time. The true mark of a classic. Air have themselves a genuine child from this album, I hope they raise it with a lot of love.