3 - Nouvelle Vague

Advantages: Good Music
Disadvantages: Needs improvement

...... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: A perfect party album; you can be the 'cool one' among your friends for discovering it first
Disadvantages: Some might consider covering Joy Division sacreligious!

...essential rite of summer involves picking our summer listening. My personal choice at such a time usually leads me in one of two directions - exuberant guitar pop of the kind you can blast out the car windows as you drive to the beach (you wish) or to Tesco (more likely); or gentle rocksteady reggae, perfect for lounging in the backyard and pretending you're patronising a shoreline in Jamaica (you wish). And then early last year, I discovered a whole new third option - and the phrase 'whole new' is not used lightly there, because 'Nouvelle Vague' is not the kind of music one comes across every day. First, you must imagine two French guys named Marc and Olivier. They both play lots of different musical instruments and like producing music. They are also men of a certain age - that is, they were young and wide-eyed when punk first came around... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Nice original look at punk and electronica
Disadvantages: Slightly samey

...An odd name and only kind of French. Basically it's two French blokes (which is the French bit) who decided to remake a load of old punk classics, but with a twist... Nouvelle Vague means "New Wave" (in French) but also "Bossa Nova" (in brazillian portuguese) and well, that's the twist. Punk covers done bossa nova style... odd you think, but highly effective! Now what's so great about two blokes singing punk classics in a weird way? Well they don't sing: in fact there are eight different female singers that take it in turns to take us on this twisted form of punk. Each of their voices adds a bit of sexiness to the mix, which is a bit odd hearing "Teenage Kicks" (originally by the Clash) sung in a sensual way is a good enough reason to buy the album on it's own, but there are in fact 13 brilliantly sung and produced songs. My only... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful