A very French state of mind

Charlotte Gainsbourg’s ‘Paradisco’

Daughter of iconoclastic French musician Serge Gainsbourg and model Jane Birkin, Charlotte Gainsbourg is a provocateur in her own right. A career actress best known for her work in Lars von Trier’s Antichrist and Melancholia, Gainsbourg has released three albums on the side. Stage Whisper is a compilation of unreleased songs from her previous albums. Written by Beck, “Paradisco” is the album’s standout track. Gainsbourg’s nonchalant vocals give world-weary credibility on a song about unrestrained values—about a state of mind—that’s out to create.