Four Tet :: Smile Around the Face

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Here's a review I wrote for the NewU on Charlotte Gainsbourg's latest album, IRM.

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Charlotte Gainsbourg

Charlotte Gainsbourg’s third album IRM has too much Beck, and too little Gainsbourg.

By Ellen Lu

It was a Tuesday afternoon, shortly after the brief, but terrifying “tornado” storm, and I was sitting cozily in my apartment listening to Charlotte Gainsbourg’s third and latest album titled IRM - imagerie par résonance magnétique, French for MRI. However, 10 minutes into the album, I had to stop and question myself: Am I listening to Charlotte Gainsbourg, or am I listening to Beck, the man who produced the record, orchestrated the music scores, and co-wrote the lyrics for all the songs?
Besides being a musician, Gainsbourg is a respected, forward-looking actress who has starred in films such as La Science des rêves, the French sister to the American Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and the provocative Antichrist. With this in mind, it would be easy for one to assume that when it came to music, Gainsbourg would take a more individualistic approach; yet, the daughter of avant-pop provocateurs Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg is in no rush to make her own brand in the music world.
In 2007, Gainsbourg was rushed to a hospital for a cerebral hemorrhage caused by a water skiing accident. The experience not only inspired the name for the album, but it also prompted Gainsbourg to write the title track “IRM.” The harsh machinery sounds that charge behind Gainsbourg’s robotic, spoken-word inspired singing mimics the menacing sounds of an MRI machine in the process of getting a scan – if you’ve ever been in an MRI machine, then you will know that it is everything, but quiet. The reverberation of mechanical noises clashing with one another skillfully captures Gainsbourg’s mental calamity, echoing the turbulent experience’s effect on her state of mind.
Tucked neatly in the middle of the record is perhaps one of the strongest tracks on the record. “Time of the Assassins,” takes full advantage of Gainsbourg’s airy vocals as she barely raises her voice to more than a whisper, but don’t be deceived by the songs quiet beginning. When the chorus comes around the corner and the drums kick in, Gainsbourg’s dreamy voice pushes the song to an ethereal high unlike any other song on the album as she sings “Hallelujah, it doesn’t take a miracle to raise a heart from the dead.”
However, “Time of the Assassins” isn’t the only track that makes use of Gainsbourg’s soft voice. Songs such as “La Collectionneuse,” “Master’s Hands,” and “In the End” display the quiet, yet powerful effect her breathy, yet timid voice can induce.
With such an eclectic array of music styles ranging from taut electronic numbers (“Greenwich Mean Time”) to classical french ballads (“Le Chat De Café Des Artistes”) to summery folk tunes (“Me and Jane Doe”), it’s no wonder why this album feels so fresh. The album doesn’t solely stick to one specific genre; rather, it experiments with various styles to come together as a very diverse, yet cohesive album. With such an inclusive record, the fear of having an incoherent album looms like the heavy clouds currently ravaging Irvine, but Gainsbourg’s voice does a brilliant job of serving as the crutch for the album’s integrity by unifying the seemingly disparate songs.
Yet, although the album is chalk full of seductive, catchy tunes, the biggest inadequacy of the album is the obvious fingerprints of Beck’s handiwork which laces the album to the point where it seems like IRM could very well be a spinoff of Beck’s most recent release, Modern Guilt. Most notably are tracks such as “Looking Glass Blues,” and the album’s first single, “Heaven Can Wait,” a duet between the two artists.
This raises a very pressing question. Exactly whose album is it? Sure, the album cover clearly states that this is a Charlotte Gainsbourg album, but as I sit snug between my sheets and blanket listening to this album in its entirety, I can’t help but feel as if I’m listening to a Beck album, with the exception that he has asked a female vocalist to step in to do all the singing.
Whether or not Gainsbourg plans on making her own mark in the music world has yet to be determined, but one thing is for certain: she sure knows how to pick producers. For now, her lack of music individualism can slide, because to be honest, she makes it up with her acting career, but if Gainsbourg aspires to make a fourth album, let us all cross our fingers and hope that she chooses to sit in the driver’s seat as opposed to her favored passenger seat.

3.5 out of 5

Piles and piles

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been buried under piles of work as of late. 18 hours of sleep for one week will not do. Anyways, here's a little something something to quench your appetite..


Fanfarlo :: Waiting in the Wings


Jay-Z :: Venus vs. Mars


Fences :: My Girl the Horse


of Montreal :: I was the Landscape in Your Dreams


Toro y Moi :: Blessa

Enjoy yourself-z!

01/27/2010 Playlist

Chicken Soup for the Audiophile's Soul

01/27/2010

1. *Grizzly Bear - Boy from School (Hot Chip cover) -
B sides
2. The Spinto Band - Jackhammer - Jackhammer single
3. Metric - Collect Call - Fantasies

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4. The Notwist - Boneless - The Devil, You + Me
5. The Reason ft. Sara Quin - We're So Beyond This -
Things Could Be Better
6. Department of Eagles - Teenagers - In Ear Park

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7. *Beach House - Walk in the Park - Teen Dream
8. Girls - Lust for Life - Album
9. Annuals - Carry Around - Be He Me

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10. Here We Go Magic - Tunnelvision - s/t
11. *Charlotte Gainsbourg - Time of the Assassins - IRM
12. Stereolab - Hallucinex - Sound Dust

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13. Yeasayer - Tightrope - Dark was the Night
14. Keepaway - Yellow Wings - Baby Style
15. The Jealous Girlfriends - Hieroglyphics - The
Jealous Girlfriends

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16. Minature Tigers - White Magic - White Magic EP
17. David Byrne - Glass, Concrete & Stone - Grown
Backwards
18. Atlas Sound - Shelia - Logos

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19. Glasser - Glad (Delorean Mix) - Apply
20. Little Joy - The Next Time Around - s/t
21. The New Pornographers - Go Places - Challengers

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22. The Unicorns - Ghost Mountain - Who will Cut Our
Hair When We're Gone?
23. Fever Ray - When I Grow Up - s/t
24. Yo La Tengo - Little Eyes - Summer Sun

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25. Friendly Fires - Jump in the Pool - s/t
26. Cold Cave - Life Magazine - Love Comes Close
27. Anna Ternheim - What Have I Done - What Have I Done

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And here is the poem Brenna and I wrote together in
between songs.
We truly are a prolific pair.

I present to you:

Like Streams

Like teabags, the lines under my eyes.
The sun's not out yet,
But it's waiting to brawl out of its cloudy sheets.
Super sleepy, seeming spacious.
Vacant and quiet like the tunnels in my nog.
Scratchy eyebals make me wanna cry balls.
Descent and rise of the line; succession with the pulse.
Crap nap flap Jack.
This is not a rhyme, this is a blurb.
Don't do this to me, early morning blah blah blah.

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hear last weeks show- 1/25

sorry for the delay!

all our shows will be up here every week from now on

there's a bit of the previous show in the beginning

The silver soul is running through

Beach House "Silver Soul" from Sub Pop Records on Vimeo.

Beach House :: Silver Soul
Directed by Victoria LeGrand

new new new!

Fanfarlo :: Waiting in the Wings

Waves

Click here to listen to Holly Miranda's "Waves," which will be officially released when her album The Magician's Private Library is released on January 22, 2010 from XL Recordings. While you're there, don't be shy to check out The Morning Benders!

RADIOHEAD

Radiohead is playing a benefit concert for Haiti at the Fonda on Sunday!

-BJ

Because I love them so much

condensed soup

condensed soup from brenna Jordan on Vimeo.

01/20/10 Playlist

1. TV on the Radio - I Was a Lover - Return to Cookie Mountain
2. Small Black - Despicable Dog - Small Black EP
3. Lauryn Hill - Ex-Factor - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
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4. Avey Tare & Kria Brekkon - Sasong - Pullhair Rubeye
5. King Charles - Love Lust - Mr. Flick
6. The Octopus Project/Black Moth Super Rainbow - Psychic Swelling - The House of Apples and Eye
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7. Vica Voce - Octavio - Rose City
8. Caribou - Irene - Andorra
9. The Blow - Parentheses - Paper Television
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10. The Morning Benders - Waiting for a War - Talking Through Tin Cans
11. Ra Ra Riot - Oh, La - The Rhumb Line
12. Telepathe - Can't Stand It - s/t
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13. The Dodos - Red and Purple - Visiter
14. Los Campesinos! - The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future - Romance is Boring
15. Taken by Trees - My Boys - East of Eden
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16. Choir of Young Believers - Action/Reaction - This is for the White in Your Eyes
17. Daniel Johnston - Walking the Cow - Hi, How Are You
18. Fences - The Same Tattoos - The Ultimate Puke EP
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19. El Perro del Mar - Glory to the World - Glory to the World
20. Ladytron - Soft Power - Witching Hour
21. White Flight - Pastora Divine - s/t
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22. Mellowdrone - Madison - Box
23. Rainbow Arabia - Holiday in Congo - Sisters
24. Now, Now Every Children - Headlights - Cars
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25. Best Coast - When I'm With You - Black Iris
26. The Antlers - Wake - Hospice
27. Beach House - Zebra - Teen Dream

rainy day music

--BJ

SHUT THE FUCKING FRONT DOOR...

THE COACHELLA 2010 LINE UP IS OUT!!!

i feel like this on a daily basis

song + lyrics of the day

Tegan and Sara :: Soil, Soil

Oh and I'm feeling directionless yes
But that's to be expected and I know that best
And in creeps the morning and another day's lost
You've just written wondering and I reply fast
All you need to save me
Call and I'll be curled on the floor hiding out from it all
And I won't take any other call
I feel like a fool so I'm going to stop troubling you
Buried in my yard, a letter to send to you
And if I forget or god forbid die too soon
Hope that you'll hear me, know that I wrote to you
All you need to say to me

education 101

"I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together."

The Beatles :: I Am the Walrus

Learn about the song here. It's basically a pool of references that have relatively little to no connection to one another, and a conglomeration of lyrics that are seemingly nonsensical. Oh, John. You're always pulling at our brains.

song of the day

Carl Sagan :: A Glorious Dawn (Cosmos remix)

lyrics of the day

"They set my wings so randomly.
When you're dead I'll search for you
like Orpheus I'll find you someway."

of Montreal :: Plastis Wafer

ceranation

when bands love other bands

I hate how Ezra is singing the "run" part, but I love that the keyboardist/pseudo-trumpet player is wearing a The xx t-shirt.

reflection

success!

even though it seemed like everything was against us (or just me -_-) this morning, we pulled off our first show with flying colors.

my bike chain did come off when i tried to cross the street on a red light, but now i have a great story to tell, so thats good.

today i learned...

-that ellen likes her words capitalized...i still cant do it..sorry

-bring an umbrella....everywhere..... you never know

i was really looking forward to seeing the sun rise, but since it was cloudy, i did not see it. i imagine it would have looked something like this..

all the listeners and callers (dad) were greatly greatly appreciated!

no matter how many people are listening or not listening, we're gonna pump out a great show every week

me and ellen are gonna make a great team...like a superhero team...that delivers hot music soup to everyone.

its gonna be a superb quarter!

CSAS for life

--BJ

song[s] of the day

Attractive band, indeed.

Watch Simon and Cathy of Fanfarlo play an acoustic set for Spin. These people are quickly becoming one of my favourite bands. I've been obsessing over them for a while now, so jump on the bandwagon while you can!

Reflections

It was as if the music deities were testing our devotion. Were we willing to sub for the DJ before us, who had suddenly become ill? Were we willing to put on a 4 hour show, and sacrifice our invaluable sleep? Were we willing to ride our bikes to and fro, and challenge the steady incline that would inevitably leave us damp with sweat? Were we willing to spontaneously sub for the DJ after us who never showed up, and yet again sacrifice the already dwindled hours of sleep?

Yes.

We were greeted with many ups and downs.

First. Unfortunately, the DJ before us was suddenly struck with jaundice (kidding, she was probably just out with a cold -- jaundice is not a joke). And because neither Brenna and I have a keycard to get into the studio, if we didn't sub for "the illed DJ," then we would not be able to put on our much anticipated show (ha!). We offered to sub for her, and put on a 4 hour debut show, but luckily there was another DJ willing to sub, cutting our time slot back down to two hours. Up.

Second. It's actually quite nice riding a bicycle during the dead of the night. With no cars around, I was basically the "Queen of the Streets." However, I learned a lesson that night, and so did Brenna. No matter how long a red light is - even if there are no cars in sight - NEVER run it. You want to know why? Because the firm hand of karma will come down and pull the chains right off your bicycle. Yes, as we were illegally crossing the red light, Brenna's chains basically popped off her bicycle. Lovely. Down.

Third. Let's face it, most people aren't awake from 4-6AM, so the number of listeners could range from 5 to none, but that doesn't really matter. If I knew that just one person was listening, and he/she was genuinely enjoying my show, then I would continue just for them. Or in fact, if no one was listening, then I'd do it for myself. We did, however, have a couple of listeners - all of whom I am extremely grateful for. You guys rock for staying up with us. 2 Ups for the 2 phones calls.

Fourth. Rocking out with Brenna for 2 hours while playing some of the sickest jams. 5 Ups.

Fifth. Constantly mistaking the rain for someone at the door and freaking out. Up.

Sixth. Realizing that it was raining and that we had to ride our bicycles, and/or walk back. 2 Downs.

Seventh. The next DJ never showing up for his show, sending us into a panic frenzy. 2 Downs.

Eighth. Playing Animal Collective to fill in the MIA DJ's set. 5 Ups.

Ninth. Riding back to VDC and getting soaked in the not-so-light drizzle. Down.

Tenth. Nearly falling sleep in my 8AM Chinese class. Down

Even with the downs, it was a pretty fucking awesome experience. Let's do it again next week!

-- Ellen

lyrics of the day

"There is a reason why my obsessive side
will refuse to leave me alone.
It was passed down to me, sewn into my every
gene, in my skin, and in my bones.
I'm fine and then I see you."

Megan Danielle :: Genes Skin and Bones
(check out her myspace now!)

little something

our adventure at 3 am

it makes us dizzy too

---BJ

01/13/09 Playlist

First show, first playlist. Thank you to the 6 listeners
we had (Brenna's momma and papa; John-Erik in Germany;
Mary and her art school friends in Oakland; Wes and
Karlaat UCI) and all those unaccounted for.
Check back soon for a reflection on the bumpy
adventure leading up to, during and after our show.

1. Fanfarlo - Tuesday (You Come When We Call)
2. Miniature Tigers - Dino Damage
3. Beach House - Norway
4. Neon Indian - 6669 (I Don't Know If You Know)
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5. Jonathan Boulet - Community Service Annoucement
6. WALK - Big Time
7. Holly Miranda ft. Kyp Malone - Slow Burn Treason
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8. Stars - Take Me To The Riot
9. Pyramiddd - German Love
10. Vampire Weekend - Taxi Cab
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11. Animal Collective - Water Curses
12. La Roux - Armour Love
13. Devendra Banhart - Little Yellow Spider
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14. Toro Y Moi - Blessa
15. Department of Eagles - No One Does It Like You
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16. Florence + The Machine - You've Got The Love (The
XX remix)
17. Princeton - Calypso Gold
18. of Montreal - I Was a Landscape in Your Dream
19. Islands - No You Don't
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20. Lightning Dust - I Knew
21. The Go Team - Friendship Update
22. An Horse - Company
23. Lykke Li - Tonight
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24. FireKites - Same Suburbs Different Park
25. Real Estate - Beach comber
26. Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Beat(Health, Life,
Fire)
27. Yo la Tengo- Season of the Shark
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28. Megan Danielle - Genes, Skin, and Bones
29. Dr. Dog - Ain't It Strange
30. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Carries On

be your own favorite band

conspiracy

Point: 24 seconds in


Point: 2 minutes and 6 seconds in

I smell something super fishy...

lyrics of the day

"Nostalgic for garbage, desperate for time.
I could blame it on your mother's hair,
or the colors that your father wears.
But I know that I was never fair,
you were always fine."

Vampire Weekend :: Taxi Cab

Free Download

Dirty Projectors has release their new single "Ascending Melody" as a free download. Get it now!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you...

Chicken Soup for the Audiophile's Soul

A bowl of chicken soup for the soul never hurt. Whether you're driving in your car down PCH, studying in the Langston library for Biology, or even sitting by the fireplace in your Snuggie holding a baby, tune-in to find satisfaction and peace through music. Chicken Soup for the Audiophile's Soul is all about helping music lovers discover, enjoy and rock out to past, present, and up-and-coming bands/artists. Like the Chicken Soup book series, the show is here to enlighten those who are as obsessed with music as we are; and like Campbells chicken noodle soup, we're here to bring comfort and peace to anyone willing to listen. So, this winter quarter be sure to wrap those scarves tight, zip up those sweaters, and tune into CSAS for your weekly dose of "mmm mmm good."

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DJ BJ

I am Brenna. I enjoy music very much. I sometimes make my own music, but I think other people do it much better. I like to find new music. I love my dog, Ronin, to the max.

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DJ Ellen (Elly Quin) Lu

Five things you need to know about me before you listen to my voice on static airwaves.

1. I like my toilet paper rolled from the top.
2. Music is like oxygen.
3. Obsessing over obsessions is my favorite past time.
4. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. [If you understand this reference, ILY.]
5. I have an infatuation - borderline love affair - with clouds.

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Stay tuned every Wednesday from 4AM-6AM to get your healthy dose of chicken soup!

-- DJ Ellen and DJ BJ