This French cover band stretches the possibilities of genre bending by taking punk, post-punk, and New Wave songs by some of our favorite artists (like Talking Heads, Violent Femmes, and Echo and the Bunnymen), and turning them into jazzy, bossa nova, and even country-western tunes on their appropriately titled third album.
Before you automatically dismiss Nouvelle Vague for remaking your favorite punk tracks in a French pop style—not very punk rock at all—it should be noted that these songs have been rearranged in a tasteful and, at times, surprisingly alluring way. For example, Martin Gore sings on their country-pop version of Depeche Mode’s “Master and Servant” and successfully twists the classic into something completely new. With the approval of the Dead Kennedys, Killing Joke, and Mick Jones of the Clash, this cover band is so legit, even the most cynical post-punk fan will dig them.
