Bande a part

Bande A Part is a charming collection of soothing music

Nouvelle Vague is a French project of producers Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux who make original remakes of classic pop songs in a style comprising features of pop, bossa nova, post punk and soul. The band also includes several singers such as Melanie Pain, Phoebe Killdeer and Phoebe Tolmer. Nouvelle Vague’s first album with the same name was a real hit in France and all over the world, besides the guys went on a tour around Europe to support their first creation. That time after such a success it was obvious that the audience just loved their idea and the way it was fulfilled, so the band released the second album right in time. Bande A Part is a nice charming collection of a very pleasant and soothing music. This time the album makers selected songs of such earlier popular bands and singers as New Order, Bauhaus, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Buzzcocks, Blondie, Visage and Billy Idol, which is a sign of their quite exquisite musical taste. It is very likely that Bande A Part is going to be played in many shops, cafes and restaurants this summer, for the music is really able to make any place much more comfortable.

Many songs on Bande A Part sound even better than their originals

The album opens with Echo&The Bunnymen's The Killing Moon, which sounds much lighter and softer than the original due to the perfect transcription and tender feminine vocal. The Buzzcocks’ hit Ever Fallen In Love is a hearty romantic track, while Bauhaus’ Bela Lugosi's Dead sounds a bit darker than all the other tracks, but there is its own charm in it. Blondie's Heart Of Glass has entirely changed and turned into a new fantastic song as well as The Cramps’ Human Fly and New Order's Blue Monday. A wonderfully heartwarming Yazoo’s Don’t Go is defined for a very rich sound with a nice choice of accompanying instruments and Billy Idol’s Dancing With Myself is arranged in an unexpected retro way turning the song into something completely different, but to your surprise sounding extraordinarily contemporarily. Visage’s Fade To Grey refined by acoustic guitars has retained its beautiful melody but acquired some new exquisite tones. The closing Blancmange’s Waves sounds dreamier and makes you think of everything good and romantic that’s happened to you in life and is still is store. All the songs on Bande A Part are easily recognizable but many sound even better than their originals.

Nouvelle Vague pleases all the generations

So, Nouvelle Vague takes the old, long forgotten hits and makes them sound in a very stylish up-to-date way. More than that, the band’s work provides a good opportunity for the young generations to learn more about the music they’ve never heard before and for older people – to enjoy once again their favorite songs listening to which they went on their first date, kissed for the first time, fell in love or just had fun. It is quite evident that since each song on Bande A Part once used to be a hit it has been quite a difficult task for Nouvelle Vague to preserve that very aspect of the song that exactly made it a hit. A musician should be skillful enough to single such an aspect out. Sometimes it is the vocals, other times it may be connected with a special rhythm and often only the melody appeals to the audience. Thus Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux first have carefully thought about which strategy to use before starting transcribing each particular song. The result is a chic set of practically new top-level tracks combining the past and the present within themselves. The second album goes hand in hand with the previous one and regarding the fact that there is a good deal of classical pop hits among the creations of the past Bande A Part is only the beginning of Nouvelle Vague’s creative work.