The ‘Late Night Tales’ series has been more consistent and definitely safer than its compilation competitors. While main rival, the meandering ‘Back To Mine’, has veered off into stranger musical landscapes, the ‘Late Night Tales’ series has stayed warm and cozy, not ruffling too many chill out feathers, even with a roster as diverse as Belle & Sebastian, Air and Flaming Lips. The latest installment follows on from the Gallic vibe set by Air’s last excellent selection, with French jazz and bossa nova covers outfit Nouvelle Vague selecting a seductive and moody set. Veering from sultry 70s pop and gentle bossa, to melancholy minimalism and dark, lonesome torch songs, Nouvelle Vague’s selection is both seamless and surprising.

Nouvelle Vague’s own productions over two albums have mined a rich vein of wondrous juxtaposition. Their sultry take on the darker, edgier side of 80s post punk and electro pop proved to be more than a one trick pony; their passionate renditions of dark classics like ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ (Joy Division) and ‘The Forest’ (The Cure) proved them more than just a cabaret club throw away act. Both albums displayed the group’s sensitivity and capability to mix lost genres with old world technique, creating something exhilarating. They do justice to those peerless acts they cover by not including any on ‘Late Night Tales’ (save for an unreleased rendition of ‘Come On Eileen’). Instead they opt for dreamy Latin ballads like Os Mutantes’ ‘Baby’, and swirling synth pop like ‘Unless’ by forgotten heroes of drama Pale Faces, nuzzling beautifully into each other.

It’s this kind of gentle clash that makes ‘Late Night Tales’ a sweet and smoky ride; memorable and engaging. Peggy Lee’s leering anthem of casino lust ‘You’re My Thrill’ squeezes out of the Art Bears’ mournful ‘Civilization’ so naturally you would think for a moment the leggy Vegas siren was fronting a late 70s anti Thatcher avante garde band. Sultry French jazz chanteuse Isabelle Antena blows kisses through heady cigarette smoke with her breathy, beautiful, ‘Le Poisson Des Mers Du Sud’, and the gothic dreams of This Mortal Coil’s ‘You and Your Sister’ haunt you long after this tale has ended. Supreme late music that is not afraid to challenge, Nouvelle Vague have conjured something special here.