JEHNNY BETH - You Heartbreaker, You

The constant shape-shifting risks offering a distorted, opportunistic view of Jehnny Beth, though. Anyone who had the pleasure of catching the chamber-pop project she shared with Bobby Gillespie of the Primal Scream will be rather surprised by the corrosive bite of “You Heartbreaker, You”. A perfect interpreter and performer, Jehnny slips into the role of a snarling rocker hungry for industrial in the vein of Nine Inch Nails, a punk-rock heroine à la PJ Harvey, with all the allure surrounding an almost flawless performance, a mix of provocation and carefully calibrated doses of conflicting, gripping emotions.

Under thirty minutes long, the album takes its cue from the successful single “Broken Rib”, a doom-metal-industrial scratch that works both as a metaphor and as a reference point for more essential, concrete tracks, where screaming takes over from singing (“No Good For People”). Once again alongside the multifaceted artist is her partner Johnny Hostile, also responsible for much of the instrumental architecture, deliberately uniform yet not without moments of intense sonic tension with intimidating, proto-metal overtones (“Obsession”).

The rest of the album energetically and characterfully handles the task of reviving punk and heavy rock suggestions with a slightly dark tone, moving between more explicit echoes of Nine Inch Nails on “I Still Believe”, slightly softened tones on “Out Of Reach”, techno-noise-rock fury on the harsh “High Resolution Sadness”, before finding sturdier inspiration again on the closing “I See Your Pain”.

Energetic and solid, “You Heartbreaker, You” is a thoroughly convincing work. The role of the fearless rock heroine, passionate and disillusioned, suits Jehnny Beth well, having recently appeared on the bill at heavy metal gatherings alongside Tool and Korn. Even if this album won't win her an Oscar — oops, a Grammy — she shouldn't have much trouble finding an audience able to appreciate its bloody yet romantic alternative-rock facets, a step in the right direction for the French artist.