:: Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Award winning French actress and artist Charlotte Gainsbourg has released her first album in four years. This has come after she gained the Best Actress award at last year‘s Cannes International Film Festival for her role in Antichrist. It's hard to imagine an album of catchy, depth-laden pop songs to follow a somewhat controversial film. The protagonist for this album has been Beck. The crafty musician wrote the music, co-wrote the lyrics, produced, and mixed 'IRM’ and stamps his authority over it. Charlotte‘s unique voice is showcased throughout and her captivating voice is as varied as the material and results in a generally cohesive collaboration. But this CD also has Charlotte's stamp on it. The album's title, IRM, is a French acronym for the English MRI. She underwent many MRIs after suffering a cerebral brain hemorrhage due to a water skiing accident in 2007. She thought the stutterings of the machine would make great music. She made recordings of the machine and sent them to Beck, who created the hypnotic, drum-heavy, title track. The lead single is a real winner for her. 'Heaven Can Wait’‘ is so enigmatic - friendly because of its creepiness. With a shuffle beat and a soulful horn section, Charlotte and Beck harmonise together. Elsewhere, there are 1960's influenced melodies laced with touches of classic pop, revealed on the likes of 'Vanities’ and the gorgeous ‘Time Of The Assassins’. The biggest thing for Charlotte is the fact that ‘IRM’ is definitely an un-American sounding record, which is sure to please the singer's home country.