Charlotte Gainsbourg - 5:55
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CD Details
Artist: Charlotte GainsbourgEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2007-04-24
Music Label: Vice Records
Soundtracks:
- 5:55
- AF607105
- THE OPERATION
- TEL QUE TU ES
- THE SONGS THAT WE SING
- BEAUTY MARK
- LITTLE MONSTERS
- JAMAIS
- NIGHT-TIME INTERMISSION
- EVERYTHING I CANNOT SEE
- MORNING SONGUS BONUS TRACKS
- SET YOURSELF ON FIRE
- SOMEWHERE BETWEEN WAKING AND SLEEPING
Music reviews of 5:55
Music Review: Ummm....Wow!
Rating: 5 Stars
They say if you're not any good at singing, you should surround yourself with the best musicians you can find. Time after time, this little method of canceling out one's vocal flaws has worked with almost no one noticing. So when I first heard that Charlotte Gainsbourg, a rather accomplished (or at least, talented) actress, was making an album with the help of the guys from Air, Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy, and the one and only Jarvis Cocker, my first thought was that I was in for another lesson in "How Not to Sing." But I was terribly mistaken. As it turns out, Charlotte Gainsbourg is extremely talented. And wouldn't you know it? "5:55" is beautiful!
While not possessing the most powerful voice ever captured on an album, Gainsbourg does a brilliant job of blending her vocals in with Dunckel and Godin's Air-ish compositions. She accomplishes this by half-whispering most of her lyrics, but it sounds absolutely perfect. On the title track, "5:55," she sings, "Soon the morning will arrive. Can I begin another day whilst this old day is still alive, refusing to be put away," so beautifully that it feels like she's singing only for you. This brilliant lyric is penned by Cocker, as he and Hannon share most the songwriting duties on the album.
"The Operation" is perhaps the standout track on the album. It utilizes a steady electronic drum beat to accompany a great piano composition and bass line. The highlight of the song comes about half way through when the music drops out to leave Charlotte whispering, "Our love goes under the knife. Nothing is taboo here on the cutting edge of science..." It is yet another fantastic song.
'The Songs that We Sing" is the first time the album crosses into near-pop territory (later revisited in "Everything I Cannot See"). The music itself feels like it could've been ripped right off of one of Neil Hannon's albums. The song begins with an upbeat piano line and a xylophone syncopating along with it. Here, Gainsbourg asks the question, "And the songs that we sing, do they mean anything to the people we're singing them to?" over well-composed chord progression. "Beauty Mark" is a lesson in minimalism. The percussion on the song is largely forgotten in favor of creating the kind of lush soundscapes that have defined Air's sound for so many years. In what is extremely reminiscent of Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic short story, "The Birthmark," Gainsbourg sings, "This little death, this mark of sin, forever painted on my skin" over swells of strings.
The album is filled with examples of how my initial hypothesis was wrong. In fact, every song on this album is so gorgeous that it's hard to believe that Gainsbourg hasn't set aside her acting career in favor of this pursuit. Indeed, she is an unbelievably talented individual, and "5:55" is evidence of that. Of course, one could make the argument that without the talents of her constituents the album would not be near as good. My response is, who cares? "5:55" is amazing from the time you press play to when the final second ticks off. That's quite an achievement, and one that should not go unnoticed.
Recommended for fans of Air, Zero 7, and anyone who wants to define "beauty" more accurately.
Key Tracks:
1. "5:55"
2. "AF607105"
3. "The Operation"
4. "The Songs that We Sing"
5. "Little Monsters"
9 out of 10 Stars
Description of 5:55
International movie star, fashion icon, and music royalty (daughter of French pop icon Serge Gainsbourg) makes her US debut. Already platinum in France with worldwide sales of over 500,000. The US CD release includes two previously unavailable bonus tracks, two music videos, and a video interview with Charlotte. Music by Air, lyrics by Jarvis Cocker and The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon, and produced by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck).Even without Charlotte Gainsbourg's musical heritage, the prospect of an album written and performed by Air, with lyrics by Jarvis Cocker (ex-Pulp) and Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy) would be enough to entice most sensible music fans. But as a combination, 5.55 is far better than probably even the participants imagined it would be. The combination of Air's trademark glide complements Gainsbourg's voice (which is less singing and more melodic, breathy recitation), to the point where, had the lyrical input been less than stellar, this could easily have sent the listener to sleep. Instead, the emotional detachment in Gainsbourg's delivery acts as a foil to the passion presented in the lyrics. For their part, Cocker and Hannon excel with their trademark darkly humourous input- the passenger on a doomed flight in "AF407105", the surgery/seduction metaphor in "The Operation", or the venomous "Jamais" being particular standouts.
Even though 5.55 bears all the hallmarks of its creators (if so inclined, one could see this as a new Air album, or imagine Cocker or Hannon singing the lyrics), it's even more than the sum of its parts and is almost certainly one of the best albums you'll hear in 2006 or beyond. --Thom Allott
This collaboration has produced a perfect result, wherein all involved have raised the finished work to spectacular heights. Interspersing her recordings into her acting career, Charlotte Gainsbourg has come out with her second full-length release. The music was written and performed by Air, with lyrics by Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon. All 13 tracks (two more than on the European release which appeared in 2006) are finely wrought in every regard, with the arrangements and production moving liquid-like across the set, making for a gorgeously seductive whole. Though significantly different-sounding, Gainsbourg shares with her father Serge an approach to singing that uses speaking tones and timbres. Her whispered voice adds a powerful intimacy to the songs, while Air's musical structures create landscapes and cityscapes through which she wanders, purposefully, suffused with mystery and secrets. The melodies, built for her voice, move with ethereal precision. Gainsbourg's human-scaled singing and Air's unassumingly grand settings create an emotional tension throughout. The album offers atmospheric reveries, pop smarts, and sly invention. --David Greenberger
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