Charlotte Gainsbourg releases her new album 'IRM' through Because Music on 25th January. Recorded and produced by Beck at his studio, the album will be preceded by a free download of the title track through www.charlottegainsbourg.com on 9th October. Charlotte, who is currently in Los Angeles putting the finishing touches to the album with Beck, picked up the Best Actress Award at Cannes this year for her role in Lars Von Triers' controversial film 'Antichrist'.
When Charlotte Gainsbourg began planning her forthcoming album, she thought Beck might be a perfect producer for the adventurous and diverse approach she had in mind. From their first casual hours together in the studio, she recognized a shared sensibility and the potential for a collaboration that would prove both natural and seamless.
Gainsbourg explains; "We started with 'Master's Hands', which has a sort of African beat and then we did 'In The End', which is very melodic and much quieter. 'Heaven Can Wait' followed, which is a much more classic pop song. So in that same [first] session we went in three different directions". Beck 's interpretation of the early session echoes Gainsbourg's: "I pulled a bunch of songs out. And then I wrote a few, with her in mind, but when we spent time together they changed because I got more of a feeling of where she wanted to go. We got in the studio and I could see all the possibilities."
Beck brought in many of his regular collaborators including, Joey Waronker and James Gadson on drums, Brian LeBarton on keyboards, David Ralicke on trumpet and Beck's father, David Campbell, for string arrangements. Though Gainsbourg's unique voice is instantly recognizable throughout, her vocal performances here are as varied as the material.
Gainsbourg's previous record '5:55', which Because released in 2006, garnered worldwide critical acclaim and went on to sell over half a million copies. Featuring collaborations with Nigel Godrich, Jarvis Cocker and Air, the album established her as a unique recording artist.