Talkie Walkie, Available January 27

It’s hard to know why these things happen, but this superhip French duo is more a living museum of genteel new wave than the bleeding edge of ambient electronica. Their chic debut of a few years ago, the moogy Moon Safari, rode the crest of a kitsch wave at about the same time we started seeing those late-night infomercials for the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast video library. Still, if you have a special place in your heart for Switched-On Bach and Vangelis, know that there is someone out there still consciously tending that garden, even if they’re French. Smooth, light—you’ll be hearing this one at salons, art galleries, and gay bars all over town.