After jumping at the chance to appear in one of the nastiest films in recent memory - Lars von Trier's masterpiece of cruelty Antichrist - many have found themselves wondering what goes on inside the French singer/actress Charlotte Gainsbourg's head. In fact, it's a question people have been asking for quite a while - the artist has rarely shied away from controversy. So news that Gainsbourg's third album was inspired by an MRI scan (or IRM, as they're called in France) that diagnosed a near-fatal brain haemorrhage, could mean that we're finally about to discover how that rather artistic skull of hers works.
Or maybe not. Because it wasn't Gainsbourg who supplied the lyrics and music for IRM - but the alt-folk wizard Beck.
It's a collaboration that, for the most part, works incredibly well. The US singer/songwriter's woozy compositions and scattershot lyrics fit Gainsbourg's oddball personality and ghostly vocals perfectly. The opener Master's Hand sets out the album's intentions clearly. Its percussive flurries, yearning strings and seductive vocals paint a portrait of the artist with all her idiosyncrasies, even if the details are a little blurry.
Beck's distinctive vocals don't show up in earnest until someway into the record, duetting with Gainsbourg on Heaven Can Wait. The song, with its singalong chorus, crashing drums and even a few horn blasts, quickly becomes the album's centrepiece. But like much of the rest of the record, Gainsbourg's quivering vocals seem conspicuously low in the mix - most noticeable here because of Beck's presence on the microphone.
Despite sometimes seeming a little lost in the record's ample production, which includes string arrangements by Beck's father, David Campbell, on the moving Vanities, there's enough of Gainsbourg to shine through in most of the tunes.
A number of the songs even see the pair moving into territory that feels completely new for both artists. It's a place that exists in between the worlds of folk and electronic music, where the two genres don't clash but exist in perfect harmony. It's the sort of delicate sound that the British group Broadcast have been crafting for a few years now and is particularly evident here on the title track IRM, as well as Me and Jane Doe.
Later on, the record gets bombastic with Trick Pony. Although the song impressively evokes Portishead's latest opus at first, it quickly descends into something more generic and closer to Goldfrapp.
Although IRM never really sets a foot wrong - as we have come to expect with any project Beck associates himself with - the album feels slightly short on standout moments. Sure, Gainsbourg has never been about showing off, but her performance sometimes feels remarkably restrained.
Despite this, it's an album with plenty of bewitching and subtle moments. If the pair don't find themselves collaborating again in future, they need their heads examined.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports
Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone: 971 50 220 0326
Dubai Creek Open in numbers
- The Dubai Creek Open is the 10th tournament on this year's Mena Tour
- It is the first of five events before the season-concluding Mena Tour Championship
- This week's field comprises 120 players, 21 of which are amateurs
- 15 previous Mena Tour winners are competing at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
Tottenham's 10 biggest transfers (according to transfermarkt.com):
1). Moussa Sissokho - Newcastle United - £30 million (Dh143m): Flop
2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop
3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out
4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen - £25m: Success
5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop
6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop
7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop
8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb - £17m: Success
9). Paulinho - Corinthians - £16m: Flop
10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Match info
Who: India v Afghanistan
What: One-off Test match, Bengaluru
When: June 14 to 18
TV: OSN Sports Cricket HD, 8am starts
Online: OSN Play (subscribers only)