Cover bands have always had a bad rep, which is why it is shocking that one of this year’s most exciting records was produced by a group who performs songs written by other people. The Nouvelle Vague, a French musical collective put together by musicians Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux, take popular songs and make them their own.
The duo covers mostly ’80s new wave hits and newer ballads in a soulful, lounge style with soft, mischievous voices and melodic guitar rifts. “Nouvelle Vague” stems from the ’60s “new wave” French movement of film and music. “Bande À Part,” the title of their sophomore album, comes from “Band of Outsiders,” a cult film by Jean-Luc Godard. In their covers, Vague does more than rehash old favorites—they reinvent them. A listener would be hard-pressed to find many similarities between the original and the Vague rendition, save for the lyrics.
The album commences with “Killing Moon,” a cover of an Echo and the Bunnymen song immortalized in the film “Donnie Darko.” Instantly, it is apparent that the song has been molded to fit the band’s melancholy persona, using rhythmic changes and xylophonic beats starkly different from the classic ’80s synth used in the original.
In “Ever Fallen In Love?” first performed by the Buzzcocks, Vague re-imagines the raw punk emotion of the ’80s band and turns it into a mock-salsa tune with upbeat, bouncy vocals. The song is deftly original and extremely danceable.
Lords of the New Church’s “Dance with Me” combines suggestive and sultry vocals that give the song a dreamy, sexy air. Yazoo’s “Don’t Go” provides an interesting twist from the mostly mellow record. The vocals change from demure to throaty, but the repetitive motif becomes a bit like elevator music.
Otherwise, Bande À Part is consistently insightful and exciting. New Order’s “Blue Monday” employs the use of bongo drums and Latin/French themes, and The Cramps’ “Human Fly” is a song that both scares and entrances, especially with the introspective lyric, “I’ve got 96 tears and 96 eyes.”
Band À Part is an album for listeners who enjoy classic songs with a contemporary twist. Vague is careful but innovative with each song, taking mainstays and one-hit wonders from the past and giving them a youthful exuberance.
