Air - Talkie Walkie (2004)

Bought in HMV in Reading, most likely in 2006

What’s strange about this record, for me, is that it’s the only Air album I’ve ever owned. Despite Air being pretty constant on my radar ever since their debut single, ‘Sexy Boy’, I didn’t take the plunge and spend my cash on them for eight years. I was still in the death throes of my exclusive love affair with guitar rock in 1998. Why would I buy exotic, retro-futuristic gallic pop when I could buy yet another Manic Street Preachers album? Pocket money was an easily depleted resource; I couldn’t risk it on the French.

I can recall very clearly seeing the video for ‘Sexy Boy’ for the first time in 1998. I believe it was on the Chart Show (it must’ve been one of the last episodes). I remember in particular how I thought the video, featuring a massive monkey and comic-book-like images of members of the public remarking on the sexiness of said monkey, was cool and mysterious. And very French. It took my friend Stephen to point out to me that the video was actually hilarious and wacky. And very French.

The follow-up singles and the whole debut album Moon Safari (1998) were outstanding, but I never bought it. Then came the soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides (2000), but I didn’t buy that either. I started my job at HMV in June 2004, some six months after Talkie Walkie came out, but it wasn’t until about 18 months later that I got it. What really convinced me that the album was an outstanding one was its irregular but frequent appearance on the HMV stereo.

A senior member of staff would have the privilege and responsibility to pick 5 CDs to play on rotation for a chunk of the day. To my mind, the trick was to play a good mix of blatantly commercial music and more leftfield and esoteric tunes, with the ultimate goal of creating a decent shop atmosphere and, of course, shifting some units. For example, Sticking Godspeed You! Black Emperor on the stereo would last about 30 seconds before the manager would step in. But playing the same NOW compilation again and again would win you no friends amongst the staff either. One of my favourite members of staff for picking a decent playlist was Jon, and one of his usual picks was Talkie Walkie.

Up until this point, Air were one of the bands I admired and respected, but didn’t love. My puritanical attitude to music was truly a thing of the past, but Air were not lovable; at least I thought that at the time. Talkie Walkie went from being a relatively new release, to a healthy chart album, to a pleasant dance section representative. Before long it started cropping up in sales sections. Each time we had a dozen copies or more, on it would go. And in it would go to my head.

The album has a soft texture. It manages to be both floaty and dense at the same time, like a comforting fog. Along with this, each of the tracks a pulsing beat. This combination makes it ideal for working to. I must have put tons of stock out on to the shelves to this album. And walking through the massive store whilst ‘Run’ is playing was a simply beautiful thing to do. I could forget I was in a soul-crushing job for a few minutes and instead believe I was in a futuristic French supermarket, shopping for space pills.

HMV was an OK job, I guess. As it recedes into the past it’s easier to love that time. But I really hated it towards the end. It was the job I did for far too long after university. Treading water whilst I tried to work where I was going and coming up with no good answers. But when Talkie Walkie was on, I was in the right place.

The last time I spoke to Jon, he was in the right place too - France.