FILTER Issue 39

Ordinarily, one wouldn’t find an MRI to be a place of comfort, much less a source of musical imagery. But for French singer-songwriter and actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, this incredibly sterile and claustrophobic environment was the source of inspiration behind her newest full-length album, IRM. “Every time I was in that tube, I was thinking it would make great music,” Gainsbourg says. “I was very inspired by this rhythm section that flies off in all directions…It sounds like hammer blows. And it feels like it is here to make you react.” But just as this clinical device was the unlikely muse for Gainsbourg, she, in turn, was an equally as unlikely muse for American avant-garde performer, Beck. The two musicians met in Los Angeles two years ago and from there IRM (produced and co-written by Beck) took off. In our new issue, Gainsbourg and Beck discuss with FILTER the ins and outs of Gainsbourg family lineage, their shared love for working with writer-director Michel Gondry, and the collaboration process for IRM.

Also in this issue, the underappreciated yet highly revered four-time Academy Award-nominated actor Jeff Bridges reminisces about growing up in a showbiz-oriented family, his almost innate yearning to become a musician, and why he’s content living two-hours out of the spotlight in Santa Barbara; two kindred spirits, She & Him members Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, work through their busy schedules to record Volume 2; New Orleans-based electronic musician Quintron opens up about his most famous creation, the Drum Buddy, and his upcoming residency at the New Orleans Museum of Art; and soul-funk pioneer Keb Darge, father of the Northern soul movement in the United Kingdom, as well as DJ Shadow, DJ Z-Trip, Lyrics Born and original Northern soul cohort Guy Hennigan take FILTER through a lesson on soul history, the birth of the mixtape, and its subsequent decline.

In addition, writer-director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) talks soundtracks, improv, and his new film, Greenberg, starring Ben Stiller; ’60s inspired pop-rock group Dr. Dog discusses tour injuries, the joys of writing, and the decision for a grander-scale production on its latest album, Shame, Shame; and we take in the sights and sounds of the land Down Under at The Falls Festival 2010 in Lorne and Marion Bay, Australia. Plus, Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons, The Besnard Lakes, Yeasayer, Ted Leo and a hilarious emailed-in EndNote from Parks and Recreation star Aziz Ansari.

COVER
Over The Influence: BECK Drives CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG to Create Her Own Legacy

FEATURES
Mutual Attraction: SHE & HIM Get Together (Again)
Kinder Than Necessary: JEFF BRIDGES Sings His Heart Out
Music Makes Fine Art: The Craftwork of QUINTRON and MISS PUSSYCAT
Summa Cum Laude: The Graduation of DR. DOG


F-STOP
JESCA HOOP: Seeds of Change


TRIBUTE
Music More than Myself: KEB DARGE and the History of Northern Soul


SOUND ESCAPES
Victoria, Victoria! THE FALLS FESTIVAL Rules Australia’s Southern Coast


GETTING TO KNOW

YEASAYER
LAURA MARLING
THE BESNARD LAKES
MUMFORD & SONS


YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW

TED LEO


FLICKER
Greenberg: A conversation with writer-director NOAH BAUMBACH


ENDNOTE
by Aziz Ansari