Charlotte Gainsbourg - Take 2 EP

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Take 2 EP

2018

Spotify

How often to actors making bands actually work out? The list goes on and on with actors who simply cannot resist the intoxicating limelight of the rock and roll stage. Johnny Depp, Keanu Reeves the list goes on and on but the results are often far more generic than anything they produce on screen. That is why Charlotte Gainsbourg is always pointed to as the outlier in that group. Despite her on screen fame the French actress has amassed a body of work that is pretty impeccable. The music is diverse with her sweet high voice piercing through whatever haze she presents in front of you. Her music has this atmospheric quality to it, almost like walking through a well manicured French Garden, but the whole thing is shrouded in a deep dark fog. You really get that sense on the song "Runaway" a Kanye West cover. Her vocal looses some of the edge that the song has, I mean how often is it you hear a song calling fora toast to the dueschebags? Yet Gainsbourg adds this sweetness to the song that isn't there in the original, and even manages to make the song feel light and balanced. The same can be said for the albums closer a seven and a half minute opus called "Deadly Valentine (Live Version)". The song screetches and pounds sounding almost Grimesy at points. There is always a twinge of sinister in her music, but it slips always to back, lingering there but affecting everything it touches. 

It is a bit pedestrian to call her music cinematic, but as she swirls through these different movements you can hear the peaks and valleys and almost visualize the places. There is a also a very French artistry feel to the record almost like Christine and the Queens. It is not just because she sometimes sings in French, it is more of the way the music makes you feel. It's boujee without particularly trying to be, with it's harpsichord based opener. The more you listen the more layers you begin to hear and the strength of the album begins to feel more and more apparent. This is a really solid EP with a lot to like. Because it is so short she really gets to the point and even the longer songs never feel like they drag. All the notes have an intention, and it comes across really well. Give this EP a shot, it may just change your mind on actors becoming rock stars, but it probably won't. 

8.0 out of 10