CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG "5:55"

That was a long break. I took a much needed vacation. It involved sand, the ocean, many bowls of chowdah, visiting old haunts, and lots of soul searching. I've come back much more relaxed, that is, until I get that first case of sidewalk rage.

To keep me relaxed, I'll be spinning Charlotte Gainsbourg's gorgeous new album once a day. I didn't think I'd be mentioning Charlotte twice in the infancy of this blog, but there you go. I don't know why I was so surprised when I first heard "5:55" and fell madly in love with it. It's not like she's the offspring of a Hilton or something. She also has a new movie coming out, the Michel Gondry directed "The Science Of Sleep", which steals a page out of Sofia Coppola's book, judging from the trailer (read: 24-40 year olds who think Lost In Translation is the best thing since Hello Kitty sake will rush out to see it).

Back to 5:55. Contributions from Air and Jarvis Cocker really make the difference on 5:55, gorgeous and lush strings, see-saw pianos, and of course, Ms. Gainsbourg's breathy and soulful vocals, all add up to yumminess. She certainly has better pipes than her mother (Jane Birkin) and the whole album has more glue than say, the later day Serge records, which seemed to waltz from style to style.

"The Songs That We Sing" will make your day. "AF607105" will make you find the purchase link and buy it.

THE SONGS THAT WE SING
AF607105