The latest releases reviewed.

NOUVELLE VAGUE Late Night Tales Azuli ***

Arch bossa-nova cover versions of punk and post-punk classics have served Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux extremely well since they rolled out the Nouvelle Vague bandwagon in 2004. This, though, is their soundtrack for space-age chichi lounges everywhere. As with previous curators of the Late Night Tales series (Air, Flaming Lips and Four Tet) the duo's quality control is faultless, and they serve up a grand spread of moody avant-garde pop. Certainly, they'll earn brownie points galore for airing Baby by leading Tropicália lights Os Mutantes, but you'll also warm to their selections from David Sylvian, the Pale Fountains, This Mortal Coil and Anja Garbarek. They're astute at unwrapping vintage goods, too, finding tracks by Peggy Lee (You're My Thrill) and Julie London (Lonely Girl) that merit applause. Add in an almost horizontal Nouvelle Vague take on Come On Eileen and you have an album perfectly pitched for the wee small hours. www.latenighttales.co.uk Jim Carroll