The Raveonettes - 'Pretty In Black' (Columbia)
3/5
By: Lauren Gallagher
Third time's a charm, or so they say. Danes Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo, aka The Raveonettes, release a third album this year, bringing their distillation of rockabilly, garage rock, and Jesus and Mary Chain fuzz feedback with them. Dark, slightly bitter, and monochrome, this collection of tunes evokes a forlorn futility, that echoes continually. If it was soaked in any more reverb, you'd drown.
Nostalgia abounds, starting with 'Seductress of Bums', a slow, dreamy tune of distant vocals, with the jingle of steady sleigh bells creating a prom night slow-dance marvel. The Everly Brothers heavily influence 'Here Comes Mary', which reaches a trembling climax, and if extracted, could pass for Interpol's quivering charms. That legendary 1963 hit by girl popsters The Angels, 'My Boyfriend's Back', gets a solid cover, with a squatting synth and slap for the beat.
Thick, deep surf guitar and a sexy swing makes 'Love In A Trashcan' the 'repeat 1' track of the album. Once the tambourine arrives, it's only a matter of time before dancefloor corruption occurs. 'Sleepwalking' is its pensive partner in songcraft, a charged and twisted dream, it switches from the clarity of Dick Dale guitar to a spine-tingling new wave solo.
Yet The Raveonettes have been doing this for some aeons. They've discovered a time-capsule of limited music, dissected it with their bare hands, injected shoegaze and pet projects, but buried themselves with it instead of pushing the envelope. If you don't like the sound of that, try getting through 'Ode To L.A.', which features Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes donating 'woah oh oh's.' A nice tribute? Or something that makes you vomit up your 50's diner mash when a man with a greasy pompadour and chops named Biff delivers your chili fries from hell.
Let's not be too vicious. With several gems on 'Pretty In Black', it's not to be completely dismissed, but perhaps it's more of a 'singles' collection rather than an album. A lot of beauty remains to be explored in The Raveonettes world; for their sake, hope they choose to forge ahead rather than look behind.
Artists in this article: The Raveonettes
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