Out Now
LP / CD / DL
8 / 10
Review by the Unarmed Bandit.
Nouvelle Vague once again have brought together a
fantastic collection of covers and added a few original songs with their 2016
release, I Could Be Happy. The covers are thoughtfully chosen and treated with
a tremendous amount of respect and when it comes to the originals, takes you to
an idyllic French paradise. The album is a joy to listen to and has a rare
quality – the covers are just as interesting as the band’s original work and
are completely true to their ethic.
The covers portion of the album includes versions
of I Could Be Happy (Altered Images), I Wanna Be Sedated (The Ramones) and All
Cats Are Grey (The Cure) but my personal favourite is Richard Hell’s Love Comes
In Spurts which, based on the feel of the song, is the antithesis of the
original but has every ounce of the sentiment. Each of these tracks has been
carefully handled and the end result actually adds to the songs rather than watering
them down.
The originals on the album are gorgeously arranged
and transport the listener to a place where time doesn’t matter and your senses
are awakened to the subtleties of your surroundings. The highlight of these
songs is Loneliness. I haven’t chosen it because I understand the lyrics –
despite not having an extensive knowledge of the French language, I understand
the meaning of the other original songs – it’s the music box beginning and
overall feeling. That said, I am a sucker for a good lyric and we have a winner
with “Loneliness is an ocean you must sail”.
With this album, I don’t think I could ever feel
lonely and it is definitely an ocean I will sail on a regular basis. Excellent
musicianship, clever covers and gorgeous original songs.
Nouvelle Vague have just announced their North American tour
dates.
March 21 - Howard Theatre, Washington, DC
March 22 - Webster Hall, New York, NY
March 24 - Brighton Music Hall, Boston, MA
March 25 - SAT, Montreal, QC
March 26 - Phoenix, Toronto, ON
March 27 - Metro, Chicago, IL
March 29 - Lunario, Mexico City, MX
March 31 - Bimbo's, San Francisco, CA
April 1 - Regent Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
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