Fantastic sounds from Charlotte Gainsbourg – a singer we first fell in love with through her father, the famous Serge – but who we've really come to love tremendously over the years – both through her work on screen and in the studio! Charlotte's got this sense of presence that's unlike anyone else at all – on film she's a complete individual, and on record she's very much the same – even while also echoing everything that made both Serge and Jane Birkin so great back in the day! This set has Charlotte working with collaborator Sebastian on most tracks – often in a musical mode that has spare rhythms, bass, and keyboards in the background – almost befitting the slight 80s look of the cover, but never in any sort of easy retro mode at all. The approach is a personal reinvention of an earlier generation of French sounds – and titles include "Lying With You", "Kate", "Deadly Valentine", "Rest", "I'm A Lie", "Dans Vos Airs", and "Les Crocodiles" – as well as the song "Songbird In A Cage", which features guest work from Paul McCartney – and "Sylvia Says", which features lyrics by Sylvia Plath. CD

Excellent French crime soundtracks from the 60s – handled up with a great mix of jazz, mod, and other groovy modes by the mighty Michel Magne! Fantomas was this creepy blue-faced master criminal – depicted in three French films at the time – Fantomas, Fantomas Se Dechaine, and Fantomas Contre Scotland Yard – all movies based on the much earlier series of crime books from earlier in the century The films have disappeared a bit from film culture – but the soundtracks seem to get more and more notoriety over the years, thanks to the current revival in lost groovy b-grade scores! Michel Magne scored all three films – and titles include "Fantomas Se Dechaine", "Une DS Dans Le Ciel", "Theme De Fantomas", "Operation Artaban", "Ma Chere Helene", "L'Ultime Evasion", and "Fantomas S'Echappe". (Soundtracks, French) LP, Vinyl record album