8.6 [Because; 2009]
Mainly known for her work in movies like 21 Grams or The Antichrist, Charlotte Gainsbourg is no stranger to the musical side of things. Having started her career at the very tender age of 12 with the (at the time) scandalous single Lemon Incest, a duet with her father that glamorized pedophilia and incest, she much later released her first independent full length, the so-so 2006 album, 5:55.
Late 2009 saw the release of her latest work, an album produced in collaboration with Beck, who’s central theme is Charlotte’s recent water-skiing accident that forced her to undergo surgery because of a cerebral hemorrhage. This is evident in the album’s title IRM (french for MRI) and the frequent metallic, almost industrial themed songs. Ironically for an album that’s supposed to be about personal experience, the vast majority of IRM was produced and written by Beck, with Charlotte merely lending her voice for the cause. Regardless of how it was made and who had the biggest say, it is no doubt a great, mature pop record, not only Charlotte’s best, but also the best thing Beck has worked on in quite a large number of years.
The mood is set by the opener Master’s Hands, probably an ode to her doctors, or a record of her surgery. The self explanatory lyrics (Drill my brain all full of holes/And patch it up before it leaks) are sung in an almost robotic fashion while Beck’s production of odd beats and noise experiments back them up. The trend continues with the title track, IRM, that sets out (and succeeds) to replicate the inner workings of a person that undergoes an MRI scan. They even went as far as to sample an actual MRI machine and mix it up with a barrage of noise and beats, and to top it all off we even get a Beatles reference (Hold still and press the button/Looking through a glass onion).
After these initial tracks she slows things down for Le Chat Du Caf Des Artistes, and it’s here in her slow whispering and sensual delivery that she most closely resembles her father, the song being no doubt a tribute to the style of the late French master. Admirably, Charlotte and Beck refrain from turning the record into a Serge Gainsbourg tribute and, after In The End (another slow, sensual song), they return to the opening mood of quirky and upbeat pop (Heaven Can Wait being a prime example).
As the second half of IRM draws near, and the songs start becoming weirder, is when the scope and quality of the record becomes apparent. Beck masterfully explores darker sides, creating a series of surrealistic and ever more cacophonous soundscapes, with the pair of Trick Pony and Greenwich Mean Time standing out as the central point of this mad foray into the possibilities of his music. The detached, robotic lyrics delivered by Charlotte do nothing but add to the eerie atmosphere.
While the album no doubt has a few dull moments (the first half especially), it gets better the longer you delve into it, and those dull moments all but fade away from memory. So, from this most unlikely pair comes one of the best albums of the beginning of the year, a definite musical high point for Charlotte Gainsbourg and a masterstroke of production from Beck.
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