Nouvelle Vague CD

P/A. Acoustic & Remixes Of Xtc ,Clash,P.I.L,Cure,Dk,Specials+

Original Soundtrack/Nouvelle Vague: Marc Collins, Oliver Libaus.
Additional personnel: Marina Lima, Melanie Pain, Eloisia, Camille, Alex , Silja, Sir Alice, Daniella D'Ambrosio (vocals).
The best compliment that can be paid to Nouvelle Vague's self-titled debut album: it isn't as arch and smirking as a collection of bossa nova versions of new wave classics by fetching French and Brazilian chanteuses would suggest. Based on the concept alone, Nouvelle Vague seems similar to the work of jokesters like the Mike Flowers Pops or Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine, but though the album is definitely playful, it works on a sincere level enough of the time to be more than just a goof. In fact, Nouvelle Vague's best moments are a tribute to how well written the words and melodies of these songs are; that they can withstand, and even thrive in, such different arrangements is no small feat. Smooth, smoky ballads, such as the opening track, "Love Will Tear Us Apart," provide many of the album's highlights. The Cure's "A Forest" gets a tropical twist, complete with jungle sound effects, while the Sisters of Mercy's "Marian" remains as dark as ever but is now much more delicate -- call it gotha nova. On the other hand, the cover of the Dead Kennedys' "Too Drunk to Fuck" is a giggly, sassy, mischievous standout that bears virtually no resemblance to the original. Likewise, the serpentine version of Killing Joke's "Psyche" is radically different from the original, nor does it quite fit in with the rest of Nouvelle Vague's bright, breezy feeling, but its spooky vibe makes it one of the album's most interesting tracks. Two of the best covers come from a couple of the least well-known bands on the collection: Tuxedomoon's "In a Manner of Speaking" is transformed into a gorgeous, completely convincing torch song, and Josef K's "Sorry for Laughing" closes the album on a sweetly languid note. Not all of Nouvelle Vague is this inspired -- the version of Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough" is overly fussy, and while the covers of songs like "I Melt With You" and "Making Plans for Nigel" are nice enough, they don't have the spark of the album's best moments. But even at its worst, Nouvelle Vague is still pleasantly witty background music. This unlikely, but mostly happy, marriage of new wave and bossa nova will probably disappoint or displease purists who believe that every version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" should have the brooding intensity of the original, but everyone else can enjoy the album's playful elegance. ~ Heather Phares
Ostensibly the soundtrack to Jean-Luc Godard's 1990 feature film, Nouvelle Vague is in actuality, the entire film in audio form. On two CDs, several ECM artists (Meredith Monk, David Darling, Dino Saluzzi) make brief appearances, but are usually pushed into the background by French dialogue, car horns or other extraneous noise. It makes for an extremely disjointed listening experience. ~ John Bush
At a time when seemingly every band with access to an analog synthesizer and a tube of hair gel was aping the New Wave sounds of the early 1980s, NOUVELLE VAGUE put a unique spin on the phenomenon. Their self-titled album is full of covers of classic tunes by the Cure, Modern English, Depeche Mode, et al. The striking twist, however, lies in the fact that all the songs are performed in old-school bossa nova mode, the lyrics delivered in a vintage Astrud Gilberto style. The cooing, breathy vocals and gentle acoustic guitar rhythms successfully transmogrify not only the pop-friendly confections of the aforementioned ensembles, but some edgier material as well. One hasn't truly lived until one has heard the Dead Kennedys' "Too Drunk to F----" and the Undertones' "Teenage Kicks" sounding like outtakes from the GETZ/GILBERTO album. NOUVELLE VAGUE successfully reinvents its source material without descending into mere schtick.

Entertainment Weekly (No. 817/818, p.147) - "Smoky piped chanteuses + a '60s bossa nova beat + '80s new-wave chestnuts = one chouette cover band....as good as it Getz." - Grade: B+