Nouvelle Vague (V2)
By Emily Trinks
Tuesday. Sep 06, 12:07 AM
You know that bossa nova literally means “new wave” in Portuguese, right?

Cover songs have a bad rap. They’re easily written off as the terrain of suburban bar bands, but, really even the coolest of the cool kids’ eyes light up when they hear a song they know being played by a band they don’t.

Of course they qualify it with the “well, if it’s different from the original… then maybe…” line, which is all fine and good, because really, that might be the only point of differentiation between an act that might be interesting, and, well, American Idol.

Definitively in the different-from-the-original vein lie Nouvelle Vague, a self-described “French project.” Marc Collin and Oliver Libaux, a pair of French producers, started the project (trivia! “Nouvelle Vague” means “new wave” in English, and “bossa nova” in Portuguese) to record new versions of some of their favorite songs from the punk/post-punk period. The plan was to change the punk or new wave feel of each song, but keep simple fundamental chords and record with young singers (there are about eight different vocalists on the album) who never heard the original versions in order to make the original songwriting happen in a completely different way.

While this might sound like utter blasphemy by the legions of Joy Division fans who hang out in cemeteries or non-ironically mohawked Dead Kennedy devotees or just pretentious, precocious drivel, it’s really pretty great.

For the most part, Collin and Libaux picked great songs to cover, songs with good bones and lyrics that work well with chanteuse-y crooning. “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” “A Forest,” and “Psyche” are atmospheric and haunting. “Guns of Brixton” and “Too Drunk to Fuck” are cuter than a snarling chihuahua. Songs that were already poppy, like “Just Can’t Get Enough,” “Melt With You,” and “Teenage Kicks” remain dance-y, and are probably the most “faithful” covers on the album.

While I’m guilty of not knowing the original, I have to say that Nouvelle Vague’s cover of Tuxedomoon’s “In a Manner of Speaking” is the standout track on the album. Singer Camille (also on “Guns of Brixton,” “Making Plans For Nigel,” and “Too Drunk to Fuck”) simply oozes heartbreak and sexiness. It’s just pretty.

Call it dinner party music for ageing ironists, call it a novelty one-off. But really, it’s neither. I’ve never played it at a dinner party, but still managed to give it pretty heavy rotation since May. View it on its own: pretty, witty music that’s fun to listen to. And as an added bonus: you already know all the words.
www.nouvellesvagues.com
www.v2music.com

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Emily Trinks

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