What’s better than a beautiful girl singing a beautiful song? Almost nothing. And that’s what Nouvelle Vague offers. “Nouvelle Vague” is the French term for “new wave,” and they’re riding the wave of post punk on a pink surfboard with a proverbial poodle. They take on 80s hits that are phenomenal challenges and make them into both new songs in their own right and tributes to the original. And they deliver on an album with twelve gem like songs. Each song takes the original and strips it of its punk sentiments and glosses them over with bossa nova swing. While some might be offended by this dismantling, others will find it innovative.
The album begins with a dreamy version of “Love will tear us apart,” the Joy Division song, complete with xylophone, bossa nova beat, and the sounds of an ocean breeze. “I Just Can’t Get Enough” doesn’t stay as far from the Depeche Mode original as some of the other songs do. The highlight is definitely a casual cool bridge at the end that includes whistles and humming. The Dead Kennedys are reborn when Nouvelle Vauge sings “Too Drunk to Fuck,” with a bit of punk heating up the mod cool. When the singer lets her voice quiver over the words, the excitement of absolute drunkenness and the lure of the Kennedys all comes together. Nothing will make you melt like the memories brought back by “I’ll stop the world’s” cover. At the same time, it never cowers to the giant of the original, always maintaining a solid grasp on the song as its own.
It’s head bobbing, easy listening joy, Granted, it’s gimmicky, and if you don’t go in for the gimmick you won’t like the album, but if you do, then you won’t be able to get enough. |