Out of thin Air

>> Who is this proggy, froggy Sebastien Tellier?

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

Some of you may have noticed that Air no longer tack the parenthetical "french band" tag after their name. Makes sense, given that their dense and moody new joint 10,000 Hz Legend is such an internationalist affair (Howyadoin', Beck? Konichi-wa, Buffalo Daughter?).

Perhaps, then, their choice of the largely unknown Sebastien Tellier as opening act on the 10,000 Hz Legend tour suggests a certain compensation. This is because Tellier's largely solo debut l'Incroyable Vérité, on Air's own Record Makers label, is the Frenchest damn thing to smear garlic butter on pop music since Arthur H mumbled "Le Tour Eiffel" a million times on Trouble-Fête.

While mixed by Quentin "Mr. Oizo" Dupieux, it's a very organic album, a throwback to the grandiose keyboard vistas and ambitious suites of Pink Floyd and Vangelis, only so unmistakably French one call almost smell the nasty Gauloises of the bleary eyed accordionists as they pester café-goers au bord de la Seine. In contrast to the opacity of the album's moods, which straddle the funny, the melancholy and the fearful (often at once), Tellier's explanation of his work is, in true French tradition, infuriatingly obtuse.

"You will hear a dog singing," he says, which is true--just listen to the touching "Trilogie Chien."

"You will hear a woman screaming," he says, which is also true--note the uncomfortable closing of "Trilogie Femme."

"You will hear legs growing," he says, which I'm afraid I cannot confirm at this time because I don't know what growing legs sound like.

"But you will not hear drums. No drums at all." That's patently false, because I hear some drums on the final track, "Black Douleur." Perhaps the truth is just too incredible for even Monsieur Tellier at times.

"You should listen to my album alone and by candlelight," he adds finally, although the choice of Côte-du-Rhône or a nice, wet Merlot is left entirely up to you.

With Air at Metropolis on Monday, June 25, 7:30pm, $30