Various Artists Nouvelle Vague Presents New Wave
New wave’s shiny newness has worn off. But Nouvelle Vague–French producers Marc Collin and Olivier […]
New wave’s shiny newness has worn off. But Nouvelle Vague–French producers Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux–has continued to find something new in it (often by adding a bossa nova twist) since their 2004 debut album. Here, it’s not NV covering ’80s classics; it’s the classic bands themselves. Devo does The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction,” Joy Division covers The Velvet Underground’s “Sister Ray,” and Polyphonic Size takes on the Stones’ “Mother’s Little Helper.” When it works, the comp shows how good songs hold up and good artists transform; here Gary Numan’s electro-fied “On Broadway” brings delicious sleaze to the song. There are a few misfires-Antena’s echo-y, mechanized “Boy from Ipanema” missed the original’s point–but they’re few enough over this two-disc set that they don’t mar the experience.