There was a hilarious skit on the wireless the other day, where a deadpan comedian asked what the French given us music-wise, beyond Nouvelle Vague, the arch lounge tribute band? From there we were treated to compare and contrast clips for ‘Teenage Kicks’, ‘Heart of Glass’ and ‘Making Plans for Nigel’. Anger, passion, excitement and, yes, artiness, versus cool-kitsch, languorous, art-free irony. You couldn't argue with that. Yes, the French have been notoriously backward and rather sniffy about 'pop' music over the years. Yet, thanks to the likes of disco-house innovators such as Daft Punk, and the deep and hugely significant urban hip-hop scenes, France is no longer the laughing stock of the rock'n'roll world, where all that was on offer beyond the chansons of Edith Piaf et al, was the 'French Elvis’, Johnny Halliday. Of course, he is not exactly revered beyond the extraordinary cultural nationalism of France.

Gainsbourg, on the surface, only serves to strengthen our stereotyping of the French. She is the daughter of Serge, the man responsible – along with his wife, Jane Birkin – for 'Je t'aime… moi non plus', the huge late 60s proto-porno loungecore hit. The Gitanes chain-smoking, hooked nose Frenchman was also responsible for 'Lemon Incest', an intentionally provocative song he duetted with his 13-year-old daughter, Charlotte.

The late-to-music daughter has found fame as an actress (including a lead role in, wait for it… Nymphomaniac) but had over the last decade become increasingly interested in making music. With a massive head start in terms of getting noticed in the first place, it soon became clear that she had a strong artistic bent, a workable voice (much improved since that godawful performance in 'Lemon Incest'), and a way with words that soon dispelled most notions of nepotism and privilege. 2006's 5:55, written mostly by Jarvis Cocker, Neil Hannon and Air, was a smash in France, while 2009's IRM (mostly written and masterminded by Beck) did well, too. Mostly sung in English, and featuring a variety of styles from psychedelia to krautrock it was, in reality, Gainsbourg attempt at pop stardom.

However for Rest, an album five years in the making, Gainsbourg has asked us to stay (‘rest’ relates to the idea of ‘stay’ in French). She's decided to sing mostly in her native tongue, to write the lyrics for the first time, and to embrace French musicality, rather than skirt around its edges. Produced by Ed Bangers’ Sebastian Akchote, Rest features collaborations with Paul McCartney, Daft Punk’s Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo, Connan Mockasin and Owen Pallett within its 11 tracks. It’s a mix of old school cinematic-chanson-lounge ('Ring-A-Ring O'Roses’, ‘I’m A Lie’) that her father took from the mainstream back in the late 60s; French-style disco-house (‘Sylvia Says’ and the fantastically driving dance grooves of ‘Deadly Valentine’), and a sprinkling of modern synth-pop ('Lying With You' – about her father), or a fusion of all three. Such as 'Kate', French sung, and a deeply personal track about her half-sister Kate, who died – whilst at the beginning of the album making process – young and mysteriously. While the entrancing title track is sparse downtempo electronica, featuring the hand of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, the McCartney-penned ‘Songbird In A Cage’ is turned, in the hands of Gainsbourg and Akchote into a liquid funk stomper. Sung in English, Gainsbourg switches over between post-punkish talking, and her ubiquitous breathy tones (like a Sarah Cracknell), the Fab one himself providing much of the instrumentation.

As well as ‘Ring-A-Ring O’Roses’, the album is bookended by the melodic and disco’ed up piano-house grooves of ’Les Oxalis’, apparently about a tearful promenade through a cemetery (relating to her sister), which then gives way to a coda of sorts, where another very young voice (possibly her youngest daughter) inquires about music before singing the alphabet, before the band rather incongruously plays statically along.

Much revered for his modern electro-pop production sheen and clarity, Sebastian Akchote has helped to give birth to an album that is perhaps truer to Gainsbourg than any of her previous work, with a sound that suitably shadows her Frenchness, rather than running away from it. No doubt the death of her sister helped kick-start this into action, and in doing so Gainsbourg has produced a work that extends her distinct and colourful lineage. Yet, it’s also looking to the future. In dealing with resolution and purpose, she’s also looking towards a future that heavily involves her three children.

Jeff Hemmings

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