See on the one hand, the first Nouvelle Vauge album was quite the gem and so you greatly look forward to hearing the second. But on the other hand, when you get to the nitty gritty, are the Vague not just one-trick ponies who might rapidly wear out their welcome?
Well as ever, the answer lies somewhere in between. There is little change in the "bossa nova covers of classic (and some not-so-classic) songs" and those that there is, such as the addition of a male singer for a crack at Blondie's Heart Of Glass and Siouxsie and The Banshees' Israel, seem little more than blatant attempts to stretch the formula ever thinner.
But then you hear something as sweepingly beautiful as their take on Yazoo's Don't Go, something as startingly different to the original as Bauhaus' Bela Lugoi's Dead, or something as daringly disrespectful as covering New Order's Blue Monday and you realise that even if for a brief moment, Nouvelle Vague are capable of something very special indeed.
Not all the tracks can't match up of course, Fade To Grey being a particular disappointment, but on the swingometer of quality, there's more on the plus side than the negative. For the most part, you know what you're getting and if you've heard the first album then there is little that will surprise you. Still, if you liked the first album, then you'l like this. And no doubt you'll be hearing a few of these tunes on a TV advert near you quite soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment