Your eyes are laughing as they glance
Dear friends,
One of the repercussions of guitarded was that I fell madly in love with Bossa Nova. I mean I'd always liked it but now my eyes turned into multi-colored pinwheels, the front yard doves would flutter and flap as I'd try and sing to them as effortlessly as those laid back Brazilian vocalists do. In other words, I was ridiculous. I thought nothing of amassing an arsenal of Latin percussion so that I could rock a guiro after dinner, if, you know, I felt like it. I also thought that doing an entire album of covers of songs re-interpreted Bossa Nova or Tropicalia style was an EXCELLENT, GENIUS idea and was dutifully compiling a list of worthwhile obscurities to destroy. As per usual, I was been beaten to it. Damn it, I'm slow. But damn it, if it ain't good.
Nouvelle Vague is a group of Frenchies who've taken a handful of new wave classics and revisited them Bossa Nova (which interestingly, means new wave as does...oh, you're not stupid) stylee. And when I say, stylee, I mean they BRING it, they've got egg shakers, random whistles, cabasas, guiros, cuicas, marimbas, FREAKIN' BIRDS and OCEAN NOISE! Why didn't they caaaaaall meeeeee?
Some of their covers don't quite work (such as their take on Too Drunk to Fuck by The Dead Kennedys; the singer sounds way too cute and flirty to be uttering those words with any kind of conviction. Too Tipsy to Make Out maybe?) But some songs are gossamer fine and have a poignancy that seems accidental and therefore, unforced. Their cover of Flock of Seagulls' Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You) makes me stupidly happy. I want to listen to it and twirl in circles until I fall down on a grassy meadow and ache with melancholic love the way pre-teens do. Something both painful and sublime. Sadly, this tune isn't listed on their website or on the album but shouldn't be too difficult to find, if you're tenacious in your pursuit of fine music to listen to.
If you don't like your favorite 80's hits defiled or women with accented breathy voices, don't bother. If you do, meet me at my house for Caipirinhas on Saturday evening. By the end of the night, we should be doing a bang up job on This Charming Man by The Smiths. I sense a Brooklyn sequel.
Love, D
Songs to seek: Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You), Love Will Tear Us Apart, Making Plans For Nigel
Labels: D, Nouvelle Vague
posted by d @ 12:06 PM
6 Comments:
I really dug the Flock of Seagulls cover! Now I must hear the XTC cover; that's a GREAT song. And I've got to make you a CD with Mandy Moore's cover of "One Way or Another."
1, 2, come on, Mandy! Ha! Ha!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
A cool album I always give props to for mixing the indie sensibility with bossa nova is called MOVE by a band called Blanket Music. You can check out a really great song called "Hips" right HERE. .
And anytime you wanna have a bossa nova jam party let me know. We've discussed my love for it before, and I know a couple of sweet yet melancholy chords to utilize.
mandy moore scares me. it's those sharp ultra white teeth.
just say when george. I'll gather up my stash of instruments & meet ya at the location of your choice.
Don't forget to invite me to bossa-nova part too. I make monkey noises very well, which always belong in bossa nova songs.
I would never forget to bring the monkey noisemaker. that's integral!
Post a Comment
<< Home