Peaches & Opinions on Charlotte Gainsbourg

The always provocative electro-pop artist Peaches joins Jim and Greg for a conversation and live performance. Plus they review an album from Charlotte Gainsbourg and Jim drops a quarter in the Desert Island Jukebox.

Peaches
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Music News

The big music news this week is the merger betweenLive Nation and Ticketmaster. In a move that both surprised and upset many, the Justice Department approved a deal between the two mega-corporations and provided only a few safeguards. As Jim and Greg explain, the DOJ is simply trusting Ticketmaster/Live Nation not to stamp out small, independent competition. The ruling also flies in the face of the 1948 landmark Supreme Court decision against Paramount Pictures. Jim and Greg are among the many who were shocked that Ticketmaster and Live Nation weren't forced to give up more as part of the deal. They also fear for smaller venues and promoters, and most of all, consumers.

Despite concern over increased iPod listening and loud rock concerts, a recent study out of the University of Wisconsin says that hearing loss is actually not as severe as in previous generations. The findings suggest that positive changes such as reduced noise levels at work and better overall health are more important than the rise of headphones use and other listening habits. Good news for Jim, Greg and music fans.

Peaches

Jim and Greg are joined this week by Peaches and her band Sweet Machine. The singer and performance artist was born Merril Nisker in Toronto, but took on the electro-clash alter-ego Peaches for her first solo album The Teaches of Peaches. Peaches is now based and her latest album is I Feel Cream. As she relays to Jim and Greg, she wanted to focus more on the singing. She's also had the opportunity to collaborate with Pink, Iggy Pop and Christina Aguilera. As Peaches says, she waited for the mainstream to come to her, rather than move towards it. She and Sweet Machine perform tracks from I Feel Cream on the show, and you can hear all the live tracks here.

IRM Charlotte Gainsbourg

IRM (Version deluxe)

Next, Jim and Greg review Charlotte Gainsbourg's new Beck-produced album IRM. The name refers to the French term for an MRI machine, something the actress and singer spent a lot of time in after suffering a near-fatal accident. Greg describes how you can hear that experience come through in this album, though without being self-pitying. He also hears a lot of Beck's influence and was glad that the producer pushed Gainsbourg into new territory. Jim agrees, noting that you don't need to know her backstory to enjoy the record. Both Gainsbourg's parents, Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, have influenced her sound, but in the end she's her own woman. IRM gets a double Buy It rating.

Greg

One of the many rock deaths this month was that of Dannie Flesher, co-founder of Wax Trax! Records. The Chicago based store and later label defined the industrial sound made most famous by Ministry. And it's where Greg cut his teeth as a music fan. So, for his Desert Island Jukebox selection this week, Greg chooses a cover version of Black Sabbath's "Supernaut" recorded at Wax Trax! Records. The song is performed by 1000 Homo DJ’s and fellow Wax Trax fan, Trent Reznor, and can be found on the label's 1994 box set.

Dear Listeners,

For more than 15 years, Sound Opinions was a production of WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. Now that the show is independent, we're inviting you to join the band and lend a hand! We need your support more than ever because now we have to do all the behind-the-scenes work that WBEZ handled before (like buying insurance and paying for podcast hosting, ugh). Plus, we have some exciting ideas we'd like to try now that there's no one to tell us no!

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