In the film Planet Terror, where Quentin Tarantino proves again that he should be kept behind the camera, a song pops up on the soundtrack that suggests that he may have also lost his touch in compiling soundtrack oddities. His knack for reinventing a song with his images is as much a Tarantino trademark as references to b-grade slashers and forgotten samurai flicks. Try sitting in a dentist’s chair and be attacked with needles while Stuck in the Middle With You plays on the radio and not think of the torture scene from Reservoir Dogs (I’ve tried, I failed).

But as Nouvelle Vague’s cover of the Dead Kennedy’s Too Drunk to Fuck warbles from a radio and Quentin mugs and leers his way through the scene it feels to calculated and knowing. The cutesy cover is far too loaded with hipster ‘irony’ to work to undercut sinister approach as he threatens our hero. Surely it’s only a matter of time before some hip new director uses South Pacific’s Wash That Man as he films a brutal blood splattering murder scene.

Luckily when Nouvelle Vague come to compiling their own soundtrack compilation they show off near impeccable taste. This is the third compilation mix in the past year from the French band who make albums punning on their name following their Late Night Tales mix and New Wave – a collection of early 80s cuts. For the uninitiated, Nouvelle Vague is French for New Wave and in Portuguese it’s Bossa Nova, which basically explains their gimmick – bossa style covers of 80s New Wave classics. This compilation veers the group away from that territory into the world of 60s and 70s film soundtracks.

The obvious stars of the screen score their top billing – Lalo Shifrin, Nino Rota, John Barry, Ennio Morricone, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Vangelis. But there are plenty of other seductive tracks on offer here – Piero Umiliani’s Cinque Bambole is the Muppets classic Manamana on tranquilisers and Michel Colombier – collaborator with Prince for the Purple Rain soundtrack – offers the slinky L’Heritier. While Serge Gainsbourg adds a hip hop flavour to his trademark sleaze with the superb Requiem Pour Un Con and David Shire nearly steals the show with the grunting brass on the theme to The Taking Of Pelham 1, 2, 3.

There’s a vague bachelor pad vibe, though unfortunately it may become this summer’s café jazz soundtrack of choice. But the desired effect is roughly the same; background music for acting debonair while sipping cool drinks and watching cute girls serve breakfast.