100 - Classic Album; One Of The Best Of All Time
99-90 - Exceptional Work; Rush Out And Get This
89-80 - Very, Very Good; You Should Still Go Out And Get This
79-70 - Not Bad At All; Might Actually Be Worth Your Time
69-60 - Has Its Moments But On The Whole... Meh
59-50 - Won't Make Your Ears Bleed; Won't Make You Dance, Either
49-0 - Don't Waste Your Time; You're Smarter Than This (Probably)
Now... onto the review:
When it was announced that Charlotte Gainsbourg, sometime actress and daughter of notorious French freak Serge Gainsbourg, was going to be releasing a record it was natural to be skeptical about whether or not this was a wise idea. Although Charlotte Gainsbourg had released two other records prior to this year's IRM, it's fair to say that this is her highest profile release (and by extension her introduction to a wide audience) and the odds are stacked against her. Plenty of non-musicians have released records and 98% of them are garbage. Remember Kevin Federline's Playing With Fire or Paris Hilton's imaginatively titled Paris? No? You're better off for it. Gainsbourg could have fallen into a similar trap (OK... somewhat similar because, let's face it, Federline and Hilton's combined IQs equal a negative 34) if not for the news that Beck would be writing and producing IRM. This welcome bit of information went a long way towards soothing any anxiety about the record's potential. Does the pairing work? Surprisingly... yes, very well. Speaking as someone who had all but written Beck off following the lackluster The Information, it was very encouraging to see him rebound so strongly with 2008's Modern Guilt and whatever magic was left over from that collection seems to have made its way onto IRM. Perhaps his best move as producer was to take what could have been the album's greatest weakness - Gainsbourg's breathy and fragile voice - and structure the record's production to support the vocals almost to a point where they're an integral part of every track, instead of being the swollen sore thumb that they could have been. After the skeletal opener, "Master's Hands," an example of Gainsbourg's thin vocals working well while paired with a finger-picked guitar line, the title track announces strongly that this is a record that's to be taken seriously. Tribal tom-toms and an eerie electronic pulse give the track an almost M.I.A.-like feel and fashion it into the album's standout. M.I.A. proves to be a touchstone of sorts as the upbeat "Greenwich Mean Time" and the acoustic "Me And Jane Doe" also bear the Maya Arulpragasm stamp. Not surprisingly, Beck's own voice is heard both figuratively on "Les Chat Du Cafe Des Artistes" which sounds like it could have fit nicely on Sea Change, and literally on "Heaven Can Wait," a duet which melds Gainsbourg's and Beck's voices over a refrain of, "Heaven can wait/ And Hell's too far to go/ Somewhere between/ What you need and what you know." It's surely no accident that "Heaven Can Wait" was chosen as IRM's lead single and, in fact, it serves as almost a microcosm of the record as a whole. IRM is probably better than it has any right to be, largely due to Beck's efforts. Therein lies the rub - on future records will Gainsbourg need someone like Beck at the controls or will she be able to stand behind her own voice? Time will tell.
RIYL (Recommended If You Like): Beck; M.I.A.; Azure Ray; French chicks; Actors with actual musical talent
Standout Tracks: "IRM;" "Heaven Can Wait;" "Greenwich Mean Time;" "Trick Pony"
Dirty Rating: 80/100
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