Nouvelle Vague
Bande A Part
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It was cute at first, I'll admit. Sure, most of the tunes weren't quite up to the originals but some of them were enjoyable nonetheless and, even if they're not really Bossa Nova, it means 'new wave' in Portuguese and I can see how people get a kick out of that. But another album of oh-so ironic, mostly new-wave covers is too much.

At least Me First And The Gimme Gimmes cover different genres each, but then again, they smile while doing it rather than pout. Although this album is about image, it is the songs by which it must ultimately be judged and, unsurprisingly, those that undergo the most successful make-over to acoustic chansons are the ones that were the catchiest to begin with, while tracks that relied on production wizardry or vocal gimmickry don't fare so well.

Ever Fallen In Love? is a near-flawless pop song and the faithful cover makes very pleasant elevator music. Rebuilding the apocalyptic, broken-down disco beat of Blue Monday, however, is impossible in the acoustic chanson mode and the resulting track retains the tune but none of the impact of the original. Meanwhile, producers Marc Collin and Oliver Libaux choose to drop the acoustic lounge pretence altogether for Bauhaus' Bela Lugosi's Dead, exchanging throwaway kitsch for brooding, atmospheric production that is very pleasant to listen to, though the similarity to the original seems to defeat the purpose of the project.

It's near impossible not to judge these standards against their original versions, yet to do so ultimately disappoints because, rather than re-imagining them, Nouvelle Vague simply places them in a new, less interesting context.

Alexis Buxton-Collins