Bande à Part (album)

Bande à Part is the second studio album by the French band Nouvelle Vague. It was released on 14 June 2006 in Europe on Peacefrog Records. Like the band's eponymous first album, Bande à Part is a collection of bossa nova cover versions of 1980s new wave tracks.

Bande à Part
Studio album by
Nouvelle Vague
Released14 June 2006 (2006-06-14)
Genre
LabelPeacefrog
Producer
Nouvelle Vague chronology
Nouvelle Vague
(2004)		 Bande à Part
(2006)		 Acoustic
(2009)

The European edition has 14 standard tracks, with an 18-track limited edition. The slightly different United States edition, on the Luaka Bop label, has 14 standard tracks, with a 17-track limited edition.

Release

Bande à Part was a commercial success, charting in several European countries. The album peaked at number 23 on the French album charts, number 15 on the German charts, and number 8 on the Portuguese charts.[1] It also reached number 79 in the UK Albums Chart.[2] The album was awarded a gold certification from the Independent Music Companies Association, indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies throughout Europe.[3]

The music video for "Dance with Me" references the famous dance sequence from Jean-Luc Godard's film Bande à part (1964).

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
MusicOMH[5]
Now3/5[6]
Pitchfork5.9/10[7]
PopMatters6/10[8]
Spin[9]

The reviews for the band's self-titled first album, released in 2004, had been generally positive. In contrast, Bande à Part received more mixed reviews. AllMusic drew an explicit comparison between the two albums, writing, "It was something of a small miracle that the first Nouvelle Vague album managed to avoid the seemingly inherent kitsch of covering new wave classics as slinky bossa nova. Unfortunately, the group doesn't quite pull it off the second time around."[4] Spin gave the record a 1 out of 5 rating, dismissing it as consisting mostly of "breathy trip-hop cabaret kitsch, often sung in an infantilized ingenue voice."[9]

MusicOMH suggested that "ultimately Nouvelle Vague’s downfall is not ability or material, but concept. What exactly is the point of it all? Yes, it’s pleasant, but by the end we want to hear some original material from what is obviously a superbly talented collection of musicians. We don’t get it – and are instead left with a compilation of sophisticated karaoke numbers for lounge fanatics."[5] The reviewer pointed out that one of the vocalists who had featured on the first album, Camille, had gone on to have successful solo career: "Camille, meanwhile, is showing the world that we shouldn’t discount solo careers for Nouvelle Vague’s individual parts."[5]

Pitchfork suggested that the album's strongest material is its covers of lesser-known songs: "hopefully casual listeners will stick around for the closing triptych of lesser-known pleasures: a string-swept lullaby take on Heaven 17's "Let Me Go"; a funereal, accordion-abetted march through Visage's "Fade to Grey"; and the dreamily seductive closer "Waves", a recasting of a song by Brit new-wave curios Blancmange that sounds like the secrets Hope Sandoval keeps when she's talking in her sleep."[7] PopMatters agrees: "What sets Nouvelle Vague apart from your average cover-band-with-a-twist is that only about half the songs on this record are well known."[8] The reviewer gives a mixed appraisal of the covers of the more well-known songs: " "Ever Fallen In Love?" is the only well-known song on Bande a Part that transitions ... seamlessly to Bossa Nova. While "Dancing with Myself" is always fun, it clearly doesn’t work too well, and "Heart of Glass" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)" fall flat."[8]

Track listing

European release
Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."The Killing Moon"
Echo & the Bunnymen3:39
2."Ever Fallen in Love"Pete ShelleyBuzzcocks3:19
3."Dance with Me"
The Lords of the New Church3:40
4."Don't Go"Vince ClarkeYazoo3:43
5."Dancing with Myself"
Generation X3:08
6."Heart of Glass"
Blondie3:34
7."O Pamela"
The Wake4:26
8."Blue Monday"
New Order3:06
9."Human Fly"
The Cramps2:49
10."Bela Lugosi's Dead"
Bauhaus4:00
11."Escape Myself"Adrian BorlandThe Sound3:43
12."Let Me Go"
Heaven 173:53
13."Fade to Grey"
Visage4:45
14."Waves"
  • Neil Arthur
  • Stephen Luscombe
Blancmange3:16
Standard edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
15."Eisbär" (omitted on UK standard editions)Martin EicherGrauzone3:43
Special edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
15."Sweet and Tender Hooligan" (live)
The Smiths3:02
16."Shack Up"
  • Joseph Carter
  • Moe Daniels
A Certain Ratio3:45
17."Israel"
Siouxsie and the Banshees4:38
18."Eisbär"EicherGrauzone3:43

United States release
Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."The Killing Moon"
  • McCulloch
  • de Freitas
  • Pattinson
  • Sergeant
Echo & the Bunnymen3:39
2."Ever Fallen in Love"ShelleyBuzzcocks3:19
3."Dance with Me"
  • Bator
  • B. James
The Lords of the New Church3:40
4."Don't Go"ClarkeYazoo3:43
5."Dancing with Myself"
  • Idol
  • T. James
Generation X3:08
6."Pride (In the Name of Love)"
U23:08
7."O Pamela"
  • C. Allen
  • S. Allen
  • Gillespie
  • Macpherson
  • McInulty
The Wake4:26
8."Heart of Glass"
  • Harry
  • Stein
Blondie3:34
9."Confusion"
New Order3:22
10."Human Fly"
  • Interior
  • Rorschach
The Cramps2:49
11."Bela Lugosi's Dead"
  • Ash
  • D. Haskins
  • K. Haskins
  • Murphy
Bauhaus4:00
12."Shack Up"
  • Carter
  • Daniels
A Certain Ratio3:45
13."Let Me Go"
  • Gregory
  • Marsh
  • Ware
Heaven 173:53
14."Fade to Grey"
  • Currie
  • Payne
  • Ure
Visage4:45
Special edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
15."Sweet and Tender Hooligan" (live)
  • Morrissey
  • Marr
The Smiths3:02
16."Moody"
  • Renee Scroggins
  • Deborah Scroggins
  • Marie Scroggins
  • Valerie Scroggins
ESG3:00
17."Blue Monday"
  • Sumner
  • Gilbert
  • Hook
  • Morris
New Order3:06

Personnel
Nouvelle Vague
  • Marc Collin – keyboards, programming, Rhodes piano, vibraphone, arrangement, mixing, production
  • Olivier Libaux – bass, guitar, keyboards, ukulele, arrangement, mixing, production
Vocalists
  • Mélanie Pain – vocals ("The Killing Moon", "Ever Fallen in Love", "Dance with Me", "Blue Monday", "Sweet and Tender Hooligan", "Confusion"), backing vocals ("Heart of Glass")
  • Gerald Toto – vocals ("Don't Go", "Heart of Glass", "Israel", "Moody")
  • Phoebe Killdeer – vocals ("Dancing with Myself", "Human Fly", "Bela Lugosi's Dead", "Escape Myself", "Shack Up")
  • Marina – vocals ("O Pamela", "Fade to Grey", "Waves", "Eisbaer")
  • Silja – vocals ("Let Me Go")
  • Birdpaula – vocals ("Pride (In the Name of Love)")
  • Eve – backing vocals ("Don't Go")
Additional personnel
  • Avril – arrangement, mixing, production ("Don't Go")
  • Thibaut Barbillon – bass, guitar
  • Gordon Brislawn – mixing, production ("Sweet and Tender Hooligan")
  • Fred Loiseau – guitar
  • Christophe Mink – double bass
  • Thomas Ostrowiecki – percussion
  • Benoit Rault – flute
  • David Venitucci – accordion
  • Etienne Wersinger – clavinet

Charts
Chart (2006) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[10] 13
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[11] 45
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 83
French Albums (SNEP)[1] 23
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 15
Italian Albums (FIMI)[14] 64
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[15] 8
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16] 56
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] 26
UK Albums (OCC)[2] 79
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[18] 36
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[19] 39
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[20] 7

References
  1. "Lescharts.com – Nouvelle Vague – Bande à part". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  2. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  3. http://www.impalamusic.org/arc_static/docum/04-press/press_150607.htm
  4. Phares, Heather. "Bande à Part – Nouvelle Vague". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  5. Hubbard, Michael (17 July 2006). "Nouvelle Vague – Bande A Part". MusicOMH. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  6. Liss, Sarah (14 September 2016). "nouvelle vague". Now. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  7. Berman, Stuart (11 August 2006). "Nouvelle Vague: Bande a Part". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  8. McAndrew, Maura (2 October 2006). "Nouvelle Vague: Bande a Part". PopMatters. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  9. Eddy, Chuck (September 2006). "Nouvelle Vague: Bande a Part". Spin. 22 (9): 108. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  10. "Ultratop.be – Nouvelle Vague – Bande à part" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  11. "Ultratop.be – Nouvelle Vague – Bande à part" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  12. "Dutchcharts.nl – Nouvelle Vague – Bande à part" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  13. "Offiziellecharts.de – Nouvelle Vague – Bande à part" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  14. "Italiancharts.com – Nouvelle Vague – Bande à part". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  15. "Portuguesecharts.com – Nouvelle Vague – Bande à part". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  16. "Swedishcharts.com – Nouvelle Vague – Bande à part". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  17. "Swisscharts.com – Nouvelle Vague – Bande à part". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  18. "Nouvelle Vague Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  19. "Nouvelle Vague Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  20. "Nouvelle Vague Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
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