RHUM

  I’m glad I have a rather Amish knowledge of pop culture (at least when it comes to remembering names), because if I had known who Charlotte Gainsbourg was, I doubt I would have picked up IRM. “Some high profile French/English, actress/singer with a famous father has released another album hey?” I probably would have thought. “Here comes the pop machine, watch the sugar content.” Beck might have caught my eye for a minute but I most likely would have let my preconceptions get the better of me, and passed it by.

Just as well I didn’t, because this is anything but an attention-hungry and cliched celeb collaboration effort. Charlotte Gainsbourg isn’t that sort famous person. Plus, Beck has had more than your average producer’s input here, contributing heavily both lyrically and musically, and his influence shows through.

IRM has all the intriguing but still catchy sound experimentation of Guero or The Information. Orchestral lines and electronics are mashed together and then woven in very fresh and interesting ways. Lyrics can become obscure or just plain weird but remain darkly poetic and intelligent. Beck even provides some backing vocals for “Heaven Can Wait” (which is a very Beck kind of song).

But then there’s also this haunting, sultry sort of undertone to the album that I reckon is all Gainsbourg’s; beautiful, delicate pieces that suggest plenty below the surface. For example, “Me and Jane Doe” has the warm, building monotone sound that Nico had, as well as the integrity to give that approach depth.

Often I find female vocalists have this tendency to get all caught up in how pretty their voices are and forget to actually sing good songs. Gainsbourg's work, however, runs much deeper than this. On IRM, her voice is just another instrument among many – attention is payed to its tuning and sound, but ultimately everything comes down to how it works in the overall mix.

All of this makes IRM a very classy, catchy album, which stays different and complex enough to escape the cheese that can so often come with those labels. My main complaint would be that, although the songs compliment each other well, they seemed ordered almost at random, without any thought to flow or development. In that sense it’s a pretty bumpy ride. But, so long as you can take the carsickness (albumsickness?), the scenery is well worth the trip.  

3.98/5 stars

Stand-out tracks: Greenwich Mean Time, Heaven Can Wait, Me and Jane Doe, Le Collectionneuse

Very cool videoclip: