Nouvelle Vague

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Nouvelle Vague

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I have most of the originals & was quite into all of the original artists that this band has covered, in fact the 1977-1985 years were probably my favorite for pop/rock. Remakes/tributes are usually a mixed bag. Many are done by less talented groups to confirm their hipness & end up on cringe-inducing tribute collection albums. Those done by better artists often fail to capture the spirit of the original, or try to put a new twist on the song, but end up being really cheesy (and not in a good way). This collection of tracks seems like another gimmick, take a mix of post-punk hits & a few obscurities & give them a bossa nova facelift, making them a little bit more appealing & recognizable than the Muzak punk CD "Punk Rock Baby". However, I do feel that the album works quite well & doesn't become tiresome half way through listening to it. It's quite a lot better than another (recently-released) 80s remake CD I heard playing in a store not too long ago (I think the artist focused on politically-oriented songs from the era), which tried too hard & ultimately failed to either add anything new or match the originals in quality. Only 2 songs really fall short on those grounds & those 2 songs are probably the least known of the lot (KJ's "Psyche" & Josef K's "Sorry For Laughing"), so most people won't mind. The singer wavers between sounding like a number of different female singers (at their most subdued): Hope Sandoval (from Mazzy Star) (on #2 & #8 & #10), Bjork (without the high notes) on #4, the woman that sang that "Telephon Man" song from the 1970s on #6, & even a bit of Dusty Springfield (as on her version of "Windmills of My Mind") on #3.

This album isn't quite perfect, but I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could. Recommended more to those familiar with the originals or those who like quirky remakes than to bossa nova fans.

Here's the list of artists in case you don't recognize them:

1. Joy Division

2. Depeche Mode

3. Tuxedomoon

4. The Clash

5. PiL

6. Dead Kennedys

7. Sisters of Mercy

8. XTC

9. The Cure

10. Modern English

11. The Undertones

12. Killing Joke

13. The Specials

14. Josef K.

Take classic post-punk songs, by bands like Joy Division, the Clash, the Cure, and the Dead Kennedys which. Now give them a new sound: bossa nova.

That's the particular gimmick of Nouvelle Vague, whose self-titled debut is an ironic little curiosity. And while it has pretty, tongue-in-cheek covers like a sultry "Love Will Tear Us Apart," it never really rises above the status of "ironic little curiosity."

It opens with the legendary Joy Division song, done to a trippy bossa nova sound, and backed by lifeguard whistles and waves crashing. Then it dips into a chipper cover of Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough," a rather plodding acoustic cover of the Clash's "Guns of Brixton," and a mildly engaging version of the Undertones' "Teenage Kicks."

There are sultrier numbers as well -- the Cure get a cover with sultry night noises and slow guitar in "A Forrest," and "Sisters of Mercy" is practically transcendental. But while I love the Dead Kennedys' "Too Drunk to F*ck," it doesn't translate well to an awkward bossa nova rhythm. It doesn't fit in, and is distractingly disjointed even when taken by itself.

Is "Nouvelle Vague" a pretty bossa nova covers album? Oh yes. Will it actually be listened to again? Hard to say. It's an interesting listen, but a novelty rather than an album in its own right.

Certainly Nouvelle Vague has excellent choice in retro rock music, since they chose several excellent groups to cover here, and often their best songs as well. Some are catchy, some are cutely sugary, some are ethereal ballads. They're pretty to listen to, but somehow the individual flavour of each song gets lost in the downtempo sound.

Whatever you think of the music, it can't be denied that Camille Dalmais has an exceptional voice. Except for that painful screech in "Too Drunk To F*ck," she veers between the breathiness of Hope Sandoval to the sultry croon of Beth Gibbons. With a hint of Bjork as well, to be honest.

In or out of Nouvelle Vague, Dalmais has enormous talent, while the rest of the album is merely "okay" or even "just good." Diverting, but not the sort of thing to listen to over and over.