Nouvelle Vague - Psyche (Killing Joke)

A cover album to end all cover albums. Nouvelle Vague is the clever French duo of Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux. They have taken older punk, pop and early quasi-goth and have taken them to their essence and given them a 60s Brazilian bossa feel - bringing along the talents of many French female singers. It all comes together in a unique and amazing way - quite fabulous actually.

One handy trick they used in reviving these tracks in their 60s jazz scene vibe was to sign up vocalists who had never heard the original versions, which avoids karaoke and cabaret and gives the singer free reign to do what they like with the tunes. The young listener, who might not know of the originals, can still vastly enjoy these songs - as they are refreshingly fun and marvelous stand-alone pieces.

They did an overall amazing job at keeping this album from becoming nothing more than a novelty.

Xtras - This Is Not A Love Song (P.I.L.)