Nouvelle Vague - Nouvelle Vague
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Free Music Notes for Nouvelle Vague
Free Music Review: Nouvelle, but vague
Hit: 3 Stars
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.
Free Music Review: [Nouvelle Vague] Wave this one by
Hit: 3 Stars
The songs are great, the singers (there are seven in all) are competent, what I don't like is the music. It doesn't swing, and I can't discern even the lightest bossa-nova influence.
Honestly, the arrangements are pretty pallid. There's a guitar, some soft drums, maybe strings in the background on a couple of songs. And they just kind of play through, like a lounge band would; nothing too difficult, not much passion. I'd love to recommend one or two individual songs, but they're all pretty much the same.
Now I enjoyed hearing the inimitable Camille Dalmais interpreting "Guns of Brixton," once, but the novelty wore off for me after that first listen. Maybe arranging music that was catchy and heartstopping in its first incarnation as drab pablum-pop is making a weird kind of revolutionary statement. Maybe it demonstrates that the establishment has coopted all those fiery ideals and passions that this music generated in the 80s. But for me, the music on the CD still ran in one ear and out the other.
Free Music Review: Post Punk Bossa Nova- Mood Music for Martini time
Hit: 3 Stars
French studio 'singers' who NEVER heard the originals.
Cheeky cheesy and fun (Claudine Longet/Jane Birkin anyone?).
Perfect for a party on the patio, martini hour, a summer dinner, pool party....you get the idea-liquor here is a prerequisite.
You'll impress your punk/new wave buddies when you throw this mother down!
Gay people love it too ;)
*You might want to avoid any childrens parties especially during 'Too drunk to F*ck.'
;)
Free Music Review: so and so
Hit: 3 Stars
I've bought this CD and Bande à Part together and I'm pretty bored with them after listening to them a couple of times. Same rhythm, same voices, same type of music... it's really exhausting after a while. I just wish they would experience something new from time to time, not take a song and make it the same type of cover over and over again instead.Free Music Review: New wave gone lounge
Hit: 2 Stars
I have to admit I am new to Nouvelle Vague. I have heard of them in magazine but never got around to checking out their music. I finally did this weekend when I found Nouvelle Vague's self-titled album. When I looked at the track list on the back of the cd, I knew I had to hear it, especially since I love Joy Division and Depeche Mode. NOUVELLE VAGUE is an intersting collection of post-punk songs given a lounge make over. I thought the concept was interesting but I found my patience stretched to its limits because the kitschy novelty of remaking popular post-punk songs from the '80s got tiresome. Another aspect I didn't care much for about the music is that Nouvelle Vague took a bunch of distinctive songs and turned them into boring, repetive lounge songs. Every song on the cd lost its distinct sound to the annoying kitschy lounge sound. While I am not overly fond of the cd, there were a few tracks that I did enjoy like "Love Will Tear Us Apart", and "Just Can't Get Enough". I really wanted to like this cd but I just couldn't. Sorry but this concept of turning new wave songs into lounge music is a horrible idea.