Charlotte Gainsbourg

When Charlotte Gainsbourg began planning her forthcoming album, she thought Beck might be a perfect producer for the musically adventurous and diverse approach she had in mind. From the first casual hours together in the studio, she recognized a shared sensibility and the potential for a collaboration that would be both free and seamless.

FREE Download of “Irm" available here.

A DUO WITH BECK:

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, and then we did 'Heaven Can Wait,' which is more like a classical pop song. So in that same [first] session we went in three different directions." Beck's telling 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."

Over the course of a year and a half of writing and recording together, Beck's role grew to encompass all aspects of the creative process: He wrote all of the music and co-wrote the lyrics and is producing and mixing the recording. (This is the first time he has ever been so involved in another artist's work.)

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.

Irm is Gainsbourg's first album in nearly fours, following the very successful 5:55. Featuring collaborations with producer Nigel Godrich, Jarvis Cocker and Air, it went on to sell half a million copies worldwide.