Nouvelle Vague - New Wave [2007]

Release Date: Jun 5, 2007
Recording Date: Dec 1980-1982
With this set of cover songs by new wave artists and the film music covers collection Coming Home, Nouvelle Vague's Marc Collin and DJ Gilles LeGuen move beyond the bossa nova-meets-post-punk concept of Nouvelle Vague's first two albums. Nouvelle Vague's ability to find just the right songs shines through on all of their releases -- even when their interpretations of the songs falls a bit short -- so it makes sense that the simply named New Wave is worth hearing. That these tracks are also reinterpretations is a clever nod to the group's origins, but it never feels too contrived. The mix of popular and obscure artists on New Wave shows how good Nouvelle Vague have become at being curators: mixing Devo's famously mechanical take on "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," Gary Numan's icy "On Broadway," and Nico's imperious version of "Heroes" with Polyphonic Size's "Mother's Little Helper" -- which rivals the Normal's "Warm Leatherette" for the title of new wave's frostiest song -- and Karel Fialka's almost comically doomy "People Are Strange" makes for just the right mix of familiarity and discovery. Telex's vocoder-riffic "Dance to the Music" and the Slits' breathless, intense "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" are some of the other standouts from a collection that manages to put a fresh twist on new wave compilations.

Track list:

101.Silicon Teens - You Really Got Me
102.Polyphonic Size - Mother's Little Helper
103.Devo - Satisfaction (I Can't Get Me No)
104.Ronny - If You Want Me To Stay
105.Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Waiting For The Man
106.Paul Haig - Running Away
107.Antena - The Boy From Ipanema
108.Jo Lemaire And Flouze - Je Suis Venue Te Dire Que Je M'en Vais
109.Honeymoon Killers - Route Nationale 7
110.Snakefinger - The Model
111.Elton Motello - Jet Boy Jet Girl
112.The Stranglers - Walk On By
113.Gary Numan - On Broadway

201.The Flying Lizards - Move On Up
202.Telex - Dance To The Music
203.Comateens - Summer In The City
204.Visage - In The Year 2525
205.Karel Fialka - People Are Strange
206.The Slits - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
207.Original Mirrors - Reflections
208.Duran Duran - Fame
209.Nico - Heroes
210.Etienne Daho - Arnold Layne
211.Joy Diviosion - Sister Ray

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