NOUVELLE VAGUE

Nouvelle Vague (album)

Picture this. You're on a beach somewhere warm and sunny, like Brazil (but more likely, Clacton). The sun's setting, you've got a glass full of wine / beer / Coke / Lenor* (*delete as appropriate) in your hand, you're with whoever it was you came on holiday with, be it friends, family or whoever and generally you're having a brilliant time. Somewhere behind you, a local band is playing in a bar, the sort of laid back lounge / samba type music that seems to go well with nice sunny evenings on beaches. Bliss. Then, gradually, you realise that something's not quite as it appears to be. For one thing, you've heard the song before, but for the life of you you can't remember where, but you know damn well that the version you know sounds nothing like this. And then the penny drops. The lovely lady in the bar is crooning Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart to an approving clientele. The tune's still recognisable (just), but now it feels as though it should preceded by the words "And now, let's have a look at some of your work... in the Gallery". Not content with completely redesigning that, the band then go on to overhaul Depeche Mode's Just Can't Get Enough (the crowd do a conga to this one), Tuxedomoon's In A Manner Of Speaking (which now sounds like a sequel to The Girl From Ipanema) and loads of other songs. One of the most bizarre re-creations is of Public Image Ltd.'s This Is Not A Love Song, which now sways gently from side to side with a friendly smile on its face - just a tad different from the original, then. There's also a Dead Kennedys song which I can't name here (it contains a rude word, you see), which has been turned into a playful and cheerful little number and XTC's Making Plans For Nigel, which has to be in the running for the The Most Excessive Use Of A Triangle In One Song Award 2004. As if to prove nobody and nothing is sacred, The Cure's A Forest is given the sultry singer / tweeting birds / guitar / bongos treatment that gives it a making-sweet-love-down-by-the-fire aura that Barry White would probably have killed for. In fact,the only song that doesn't quite come off is Teenage Kicks, the electric guitar adds a bit of urgency to the song that it could possibly have done without and the percussion sounds like a lame donkey hobbling around the recording studio. All in all though, this is a prime example of how to do cover versions while still leaving your own mark on the songs (Soda Club take note). This album is so summery it's unbelieveable and, more to the point, it's really well done. And I like it and at the end of the day, it's my review so that's what counts.

SLASH DOT DASH

Fatboy Slim

This is a really stupid song. Mind you, I think that's the point. However, there's Cheeky Girls Stupid and Fatboy Slim Stupid and these are two very different things. The main vocal is provided by a bloke who barks the words slash, dot, dash and com over and over again - honest, that's all he had to do and he probably got paid a tidy sum for that too. The tune is provided by drum loops, guitar riffs and what sounds like a gospel choir or something and it's all very simple, very quick and a lot of fun. It's not meant to be the best song ever (and it isn't), but it beats listening to McFly any day and I bet you you'll know the chorus (such as it is) after just one listen.

THINGS WILL GO MY WAY

The Calling

If the singles are going to be this bland, perhaps they'd be better off with some adversity heading in their direction. This is a driving soft rock anthem and that's about the nicest thing I can say about it. It's not the worst song ever, but it's too deadly serious for its own good. I knew I should've listened to Har Mar Superstar's new single instead.