3 (Nouvelle Vague album)
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''3'' (also known as ''NV3'') is the third studio album by the French band
Nouvelle Vague French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...
. It was released 16 June 2009 on
Peacefrog Records Peacefrog Records is a British independent record label based in London, England. The label produces releases in many different styles of electronic music, as well as branching out into folk and indie artists such as José González, Nouvelle ...
. As with their previous releases, the album consists entirely of cover versions of
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde s ...
and new wave songs from the 1970s and 1980s. Four of the tracks are performed as duets, featuring the song's original vocalist performing alongside one of Nouvelle Vague's female singers.


Production

The band draws on a broader range of musical styles compared to their earlier albums; the covers here are inspired by blues and
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
in addition to the familiar bossa nova and
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
. Several of the tracks on ''3'' are performed as duets, with Nouvelle Vague's female singers joined by the artists who sang on the original recordings. The tracks performed as duets are "
Master and Servant "Master and Servant" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 20 August 1984 as the second single from their fourth studio album, ''Some Great Reward'' (1984). Its subject matter is BDSM relationships, which caused ...
" (featuring
Martin Gore Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961) is an English songwriter, musician, singer, record producer and DJ. He is one of the founding members of the electronic rock band Depeche Mode and is the band's main songwriter. He is the band's guitarist a ...
of Depeche Mode), "All My Colours" (with Ian McCulloch of Echo & the Bunnymen), "
Our Lips Are Sealed "Our Lips Are Sealed" is a song co-written by Jane Wiedlin, guitarist of the Go-Go's, and Terry Hall, singer of the Specials and Fun Boy Three. It was first recorded by the Go-Go's as the opening track on their album '' Beauty and the Beat'' ...
" (with Terry Hall of
The Specials The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Lynval ...
), and "Parade" (with
Barry Adamson Barry Adamson (born 11 June 1958)Biography
. Barryadamson.com.
is an English pop and rock music ...
of Magazine). David Byrne of
Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...
and
David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan. The band's androgynous look and increasingly ...
of Japan turned down invitations to appear on the album. The appearance of the original artists covering their own songs led one commentator to describe the record as "without a doubt the most meta covers album released this decade." In another departure from the earlier albums, ''3'' also features two French-language songs, including a version of
Plastic Bertrand Roger François Jouret (born 24 February 1954), better known as Plastic Bertrand, is a Belgian musician, songwriter, producer, editor and television presenter, best known for the 1977 international hit single " Ça plane pour moi". Biography ...
's " Ça plane pour moi". Nouvelle Vague's Olivier Libaux explained, "Ca Plane Pour Moi was supposed to be the first French punk single. The thing is, it was sung by Plastic Bertrand – who was Belgian – and many French people think this song is a bit stupid. But it has been covered by bands like The Damned – so it seems that, abroad, this song is very respected. We chose the song because of this paradox."


Release

''3'' charted in several European countries, peaking at number 57 in France, number 38 in Germany, and number 20 in Portugal. In 2009, it was awarded a silver certification from the
Independent Music Companies Association The Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA), originally the Independent Music Publishers and Labels Association, is a non-profit trade association established in 2000 to help European independent record labels represent their agenda a ...
which indicated sales of at least 30,000 copies throughout Europe.


Critical reception

The album received mixed reviews, with several critics suggesting that the concept of Nouvelle Vague itself had grown stale. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' noted that the band had "spun out their quirky cover-versions project into a career that has outlasted that of some of the bands they've covered. That's sobering news for anyone who initially found Nouvelle Vague entertaining but has now had enough of their kitsch bossa-nova takes on indie classics." The review concluded that, "it's time for Collin and Libaux to find a new concept." ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' agreed: "The project made its point the first time around, and with the arrival of a third record, Nouvelle Vague’s approach has become as subversive and surprising as placing rabbit ears behind someone’s head in a class photo. More importantly, by devoting itself primarily to reformatting the songs into new genres, ''3'' often loses the soul of the original recordings—be it the giddy anxiety of “Blister in the Sun” or the inflammatory anger of “God Save the Queen”—without offering much in exchange." ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' wrote that, "most of these covers aren't tugged far out of their element ... Nouvelle Vague's interpretations are stylish and pretty, but not especially novel." In contrast,
BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...
described the album as "a sublimely inventive concoction of clashing but surprisingly complementary moods and styles. Happily, ''NV3'' shows little sign of Collin and Libaux running out of ideas or outstaying their welcome." Critics focused their comments in particular on the tracks performed as duets. For ''The Guardian'', "Barry Adamson and Nadeah Miranda are a modern
Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960 ...
and
Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatr ...
as they claw their way through Magazine's Parade." Commenting on the same song,
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
's critic stated, "Barry Adamson's sneering cool makes a noir version of Magazine's "Parade" the album's standout." In contrast, "the group's version of "Master and Servant" – which features a Jew's harp and Martin Gore's booming baritone on the chorus – feels overdone, and not even Terry Hall's cameo can save "Our Lips Are Sealed"'s transformation into a pastoral reverie from seeming a bit silly."


Track listing


Personnel

;Nouvelle Vague *
Marc Collin Marc Collin is a French musician, film music composer and record producer. He is best known as the founder, with Olivier Libaux, of the project Nouvelle Vague, a cover band that covers new wave songs in a bossa nova style. Collin also released ...
– keyboards, programming, arrangement, mixing, production * Olivier Libaux – bass, guitar, production ("Get a Grip") ;Vocalists * Mélanie Pain – vocals ("Master and Servant", "All My Colours", "God Save the Queen") * Eloisia – vocals ("Blister in the Sun", "Metal") * Sandra Dee – vocals ("Road to Nowhere", "Get a Grip") * Silja – vocals ("The American") * Karina Zeviani – vocals ("Heaven") * Nadeah Miranda – vocals ("Parade", "So Lonely", "Don't You Want Me") * Leelou – vocals ("Ça plane pour moi") * Marina Celeste – vocals ("Our Lips Are Sealed") *
Sophie Delila Sophie Delila (born 7 August 1983), is a London-based French recording artist, songwriter, musician and producer currently signed to Universal Music. Early life Sophie Delila was born and raised in Paris. Her father is an accomplished piano pla ...
– vocals ("Say Hello Wave Goodbye", "Such a Shame", "Girl U Want") * Phoebe Killdeer – vocals ("Not Knowing") * Jenia Lubich – vocals ("Aussi belle qu'une balle", "Marooned") * Valente Bertelli – vocals ("Don't You Want Me") * Maïa Barouh – flute, vocals ("Subarashii Hibi") * Ania – vocals ("Johnny and Mary") *
Martin Gore Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961) is an English songwriter, musician, singer, record producer and DJ. He is one of the founding members of the electronic rock band Depeche Mode and is the band's main songwriter. He is the band's guitarist a ...
– vocals ("Master and Servant") * Ian McCulloch – vocals ("All My Colours") *
Barry Adamson Barry Adamson (born 11 June 1958)Biography
. Barryadamson.com.
is an English pop and rock music ...
– vocals ("Parade") * Terry Hall – vocals ("Our Lips Are Sealed") * Samy Birnbach – vocals ("Not Knowing") ;Additional personnel * Thibaut Barbillon – bass, guitar, production ("God Save the Queen") * Julien Decoret – guitar * Pete Hutchison – mastering * Eric Poirier – brass, trumpet


Charts


References


External links

* * {{Authority control 2009 albums Nouvelle Vague (band) albums Covers albums Peacefrog Records albums