“If Moon Safari was the day, Virgin Suicides is the night” proclaimed Air’s Jean Benoit Dunckel to Jockey Slut magazine early last year. But if that’s the case, what does that make Air’s new opus, ‘10 000 Hz Legend’? Sunrise, perhaps, although Dunckel and Nicolas Godin have continued to incorporate darker elements into their chilled sound. However, unlike the duo’s ‘Virgin Suicides’ score, which although beautiful was not exactly the party album of 2000, ‘10 000 Hz Legend’ is a curious beast that unfolds with each playback.

It begins with the gentle ‘Electronic Performers’, a tune closely related to some of the pieces in ‘Virgin Suicides’. But despite keeping the darker electronic motifs that were used to accompany Sofia Coppola’s film (no more ‘Dead Bodies’, ‘Hurricanes’ or ‘Dark Messages’), Air create a warm balance by using acoustic guitars, harmonicas and piano. Air crafted ‘10 000 Hz Legend’ by leaving their old equipment behind in order to find fresh inspiration. Indeed, as the voice in ‘Electronic Performers’ states, Air have searched ‘new programs for your pleasure’. The lilting ‘How Does It Make You Feel’ brings back memories of the robotic voice on Radiohead’s ‘Fitter Happier’, who now wishes to know more about the bond with his partner. If anything has changed between Air’s first two albums, it’s the fact that the duo’s growing maturity is apparent in their music. The joyful melodies of ‘Moon Safari’ are still present, but an older, world-weary voice is now speaking to the listener. Have fun, but be careful. ‘The Vagabond’, the first of two Beck assisted songs on the album (the other being the beat-poetry slanted ‘Don’t Be Light’), is a fine example of Air’s musical growth. It may even be a glimpse of what might lie ahead if both artists decided to combine forces over a whole album (Alt-Country chill out? Stranger things have happened).

The gentle progression of ‘Radian’ from a note, then a mystic sigh, to a final beautiful combination of harp, piano, guitar and flute will delight fans of ‘Moon Safari’. It stands as one of the highlights of the album, and is reminiscent of ‘Talisman’ from the group’s debut. ‘Lucky and Unhappy’ is another song that shows Air’s talent at orchestration, a snapshot of a character that wants to get out of the working world. The strangest song title of 2001 so far, ‘Sex Born Poison’ is a piece that totally confuses upon first listen. But further playbacks reveal how the voices of Buffalo Daughter members SuGar and Yumiko contrast with the growing tension bubbling beneath. Indeed, Sex Born Poison is arguably Air’s best song to date.

‘People in the City’ is yet another of Air’s mature pieces, and though it doesn’t work to the same effect as ‘Sex Born Poison’, certainly shows how the duo are incorporating more intriguing elements into their music (an acoustic guitar strums while stilted vocals fight for recognition against sirens and keyboards). Indie songsmith Jason Falkner guests on both ‘People in the City’ and the first single, ‘Radio #1’, adding a lighter touch against the busy backgrounds of both songs.

If ‘10 000 Hz Legend’ doesn’t achieve the plaudits and popular success of ‘Moon Safari’ (which it will not), it will be because of the collaborations with Beck. Although ‘The Vagabond’, and later track ‘Don’t Be Light’ are solid songs in their own right, they just don’t sit comfortably next to the sly Serge Gainsbourg tribute ‘Wonder Milky Bitch’, and the brilliance of ‘Sex Born Poison’. ‘10 000 Hz Legend’ might have worked better Beck-less, but it’s really a minor quibble.

It’s hard to follow up a debut album that became the soundtrack to the lounge bars and cafés of 1997. Air’s second album proper (not counting the mysteriously dark ‘Virgin Suicides’ score) finds Jean Benoit and Nicolas arising from their slumber to take on a brave new world. ‘10 000 Hz Legend’ is both confusing and beautiful, but if given time will certainly prove rewarding listening.