3 shows Nouvelle Vague at its best
French collective Nouvelle Vague have gained notoriety for covering the songs of others, but that doesn't mean they lack originality. With an emphasis on fun and creativity, Nouvelle Vague have released their third album, aptly titled 3.
The idea behind Nouvelle Vague is the product of the imaginations of producers Oliver Libaux and Marc Collin: cult new wave (as the bands name states) and post punk songs covered by a rotating lineup of lovely chanteuses in a lounge bossanova style. In past records, Nouvelle Vague have covered greats like Joy Division, The Cure, The Clash and The Smiths. 3 follows the motif with an interesting twist — some of the writers of the original songs appear on tracks to help in the reconstruction.
Depeche Mode's Martin Gore appears on Master and Servant, a gentler take on the fast paced synthpop original with subtle inserts of bluegrass twang. Echo and the Bunnymen's Ian McCulloch appears on All My Colors which surprisingly does maintain some of its original somber feel, although the delicate feminine vocals of Melanie Pain add a change in depth and create a sad duet amongst the two. Magazine's Barry Adamson appears on Parade which changed from a spaced out and piano driven track into an eerily breathy and sultry duet that has a surrounding air of romance gone awry. The Specials' Terry Hall appears on Our Lips Are Sealed which is a soft, peaceful version and a far cry from the hyperactive original by the Go-Go's or the more horrible covers by pop artists who will remain nameless.
The reworking of songs results in the best kind of cover, breathing new life and different energy into already established tracks. The Sex Pistols God Save The Queen is drained of its aggressive punk rock and shaped into something soft sheer and feminine, and likewise in The Violent Femmes Blister In The Sun, the wavering and suffering vocals of Gordon Gano are replaced with sweet and hopeful crooning from French songstress Eloisia.
On first listen to 3 or any of Nouvelle Vague's previous works (self-titled and Bande a Parte) it becomes easy to forget one is listening to a cover, and to be drawn into the unique and relaxing sounds. Being a cover band certainly comes with stigma attached, but it is more plausible to look at Nouvelle Vague as being renovators of music who simply re-arrange things into something great, different but built upon the same foundation. Credit should be given to Nouvelle Vague for the gentle reminder that new wave proves there was at least a little bit of a good side to the 80s...it just takes a little searching.
