There are very few musical performers that I revere so much that I would buy their next album sight unseen and music unheard. Portishead is one. In fact, I would buy their next album even if I heard it sucked.
So, imagine how excited I am to learn that Portishead has emerged after eight years of silence with a track on the new album Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited: A Tribute to Serge Gainsbourg. The occasion is the fifteenth anniversary of the death of Gainsbourg, who was a cultural hero in France, although he’s best known internationally for his trash classic “Je t’aime… moi non plus.”
The new album features English lyrics and the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Michael Stipe, Cat Power, and Jane Birkin. Read more about it here.
Portishead cover the song “Un jour comme un autre,” here titled “Requiem for Anna,” taken from the film Anna (1967), where it was sung by Anna Karina.
And, heck-a-boo, let me throw in another one: The Kills perform “I Call It Art (Le Chanson de Slogan).”
“Boomerang 2005″ by Gonzales, Feist & Dani sounds a little like a lightweight Gorillaz track. “Those Little Things” by Carla Bruni has that breathy quality that Gainsbourg often achieved with his female vocalists. Still absorbing the record.
Portishead – Requiem for Anna — BUY
The Kills – I Call It Art — BUY
4 Responses
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The Pop View Says:
A few years ago there was also a remix album of Gainsbourg’s songs.
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girish Says:
I bought this remix record when it came out, but for some odd reason, haven’t pulled it out and listened to it seriously.
My favorite Gainsbourg cover so far might be the hidden track “Bonnie and Clyde” off Luna’s Penthouse with Letitia Sadler of Stereolab doing the Bardot bits.
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The Pop View Says:
I love Matthew Herbert’s “Bonnie & Clyde (Herbert’s Fred & Ginger Mix),” which can be found on a number of collections.
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The Pop View » Blog Archive » The Return of Portishead Says:
[...] As I said previously: There are very few musical performers that I revere so much that I would buy their next album sight unseen and music unheard. Portishead is one. In fact, I would buy their next album even if I heard it sucked. [...]