Nouvelle Vague

A project that sounds better than the math might suggest, Nouvelle Vague is a French act given to rearranging old post-punk songs as brisk, breezy lounge music. Put out by David Byrne’s Luaka Bop label, the group’s first album featured a strong slate of cover subjects: Joy Division, Public Image Ltd., XTC, Dead Kennedys, The Clash, Modern English, and more. The formula has followed suit since, and it’s not as kitschy as it might sound either—the songs are all treated with enough passion and grace to do well by their lineage. Novelle Vague’s latest record, 2009’s 3, is expectedly eclectic with covers of Talking Heads, The Police, and Depeche Mode (whose own Martin Gore makes a guest appearance).

Updated 01/20/2010