Chalotte Gainsbourg has had a rollercoaster of a life since the release of her last album, 5:55 in 2006. In 2007, she played Claire, a French artist who became one of Bob Dylan’s wives in the movie I’m Not There. The same year, she fell victim to a water skiing accident that violently shook her brain and could have easily paralyzed or killed her. After undergoing emergency surgery, Charlotte was miraculously fine, but she had numerous M.R.I. scans afterwards to verify her stable condition. The title of this new album, the French term for M.R.I., clearly reflects Charlotte’s mindset as this new album was produced.

Although Charlotte is the sole vocalist on all but one of the tracks onIRM, a great deal of the creative control on this solo record, including the majority of the songwriting credit, is given to Beck Hansen, commonly known as Beck. From the first measure of “Master’s Hands,” the lead track on IRM, Beck’s influence is easily recognizable. Gainsbourg had already seemed to channel Beck’s Mellow Gold on 5:55, but IRMcaptures the more experimental and percussive side of Beck heard on “Modern Guilt,” Beck’s most recent release.

The title track, “IRM”, cleverly uses sample sounds of a running M.R.I. machine as the lyrics “Take a picture, what’s inside? Ghost image in my mind” are sung by an intentionally emotionless Gainsbourg. While references to her life after the accident are not always so blatantly present, they can often be found hidden within a verse or chorus; Beck’s obvious attempt to keep the music relative to the artist singing. The only track on which Beck does sing, Heaven Can Wait, he and Charlotte share nearly every word with a perfect balance. Neither Beck nor Gainsbourg are particularly gifted vocalists, but their lack of refinement seems to give an additional honesty to the words being sung.

It seems strange to call this a Charlotte Gainsbourg solo album with Beck’s influence reigning over every last aspect of the work, but what started as a small recording session between the two blossomed into an incredible success. Charlotte’s last record, certified platinum in France, never achieved much success in the US, but with a little help from the cunning king of musical imagery, I have no doubt IRM will finally provide her with the recognition she deserves.

Four and a half stars

Similar Artists: Beck, Regina Spektor

Track Suggestion: IRM

Beach House – Teen Dream

Two years after their breakout record, Devotion, Beach House is back, this time with Sub Pop Records and producer Chris Coady who has worked with the likes of TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and We Are Scientists. Recorded in a church, natural reverb is a pleasant commonality that blends perfectly with Victoria Legrand’s peaceful vocals and Alex Scally’s shimmering instrumentation.

On October 21, 2008, less than a year after Devotion hit the shelves, Beach House released the single “Used to Be” which now appears onTeen Dream. Although a strong track and one of the catchiest on the album, Beach House displays a new level of originality with the remainder of their third offering.

Opening with “Zebra,” an acoustically driven track reminiscent of Fleet Foxes’ critically acclaimed debut, Beach House explore the depths of their new found recording space with a simplistic beauty that sets the tone for the album. The following song, “Silver Soul,” makes use of the same reverb while tastefully adding more digital effects to the mix which are found throughout the remainder of Teen Dream.

Creativity hits its peak on “Norway”, a rhythmic song that opens very similarly to Charlotte Gainsbourg’s IRM. With a pitch bend wheel continuously at hand, the melody holds steady in the vocals while the instrumentation wavers around the intended pitch. Albeit difficult to listen to at first, on further listens, the brilliance of the idea becomes clear and the allure of the track begins to stand out from the rest.

The final track on the album, “Take Care,” does an excellent job of bringing the music full circle and providing the listener with a satisfying fade out conclusion. In a music business driven by the success of singles, Teen Dream is a rare complete work that captures the listener best when heard straight through. With releases like this one, it is unlikely Beach House will ever be playing in large venues or frequently heard on the radio, but word of mouth can be a powerful force and I have no doubt Teen Dream will get many people talking.

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