finetune artist: Nouvelle Vague

This remarkable project is the creation of French musicians/producers Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux. Both men had spent the 90s working on the French pop and dance scenes and entered the new millennium looking for a different challenge. Taking their new recording moniker from the 60s new wave of cult French cinema, the concept behind Nouvelle Vague was to resurrect classic 80s songs by reinterpreting them in a bossa nova style. The 2004 debut comprised cover versions of songs by various English and American punk and new wave bands including XTC ("Making Plans For Nigel"), Joy Division ("Love Will Tear Us Apart"), Depeche Mode ("Just Can't Get Enough"), the Clash ("The Guns Of Brixton"), the Dead Kennedys ("Too Drunk To Fuck"), and the Undertones ("Teenage Kicks"). Collin and Libaux insisted the French and Brazilian female vocalists appearing on the album should only perform songs they were not familiar with, an approach that allowed them to tease out new angles and aspects from some familiar songs. On paper a ridiculous novelty concept, in reality the album was beautifully executed and, impressively, it managed to avoid descending into glib pastiche or overbearing archness. A second instalment followed in summer 2006 and a third (a compilation) in early 2007. It could go on for years.

Listen to Nouvelle Vague at Finetune.

Dancing With Myself
Love Will Tear Us Apart
In A Manner of Speaking
Too Drunk To Fuck
This Is Not A Love Song

Anissa_Rose on 2007-08-21 13:52:32.903:
This group is SWEET! I'm glad to hear they're catching on through commercials.. I heard "I'll Melt With You" on a commercial and recently "Dancing with Myself" on a promo for the new L.A.Ink show. Keep it coming!