The Raveonettes, Lust Lust Lust

Late post because A.) I had to go out and get something to review and B.) I wasn't planning on that afternoon nap being more than an hour. Shows you what I know.

I get the feeling The Raveonettes have been listening to alot of Jesus and Mary Chain while gearing up for Lust Lust Lust since much of the album bears the a similar sound to that wildly distorted blast from the past. According to my reading, they claim influences from girlpop groups such as the The Ronettes and The Shangri-Las, to more experimental rock outfits like The Velvet Underground, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and My Bloody Valentine. The influence shows, but instead of being grossly derivative, it comes off as being a celebration of the styles that made them what they are.

Confession: I remember about 6 years ago when "Attack of the Ghost Riders" was released as a music video, watching the black and white campy two and a half minutes and thinking that it wasn't that impressive. Not my thing. Maybe I was watching at my college campus' cafeteria, a place notorious for not having the sound turned on half the time (or just being drowned out by the massed hordes), so that wasn't a fair shake. I have since repented, broke down, and gave this a shot.

First impression was good, borderline exceptional. They are wild fuzzy and overdriven like The Jesus and Mary Chain before them, but with a twist of sexy and pop that makes for a smooth finish (why am I describing this like a mixed drink?). First track "Aly, Walk With Me" is a groovy, fuzzed-out distorted monstrosity that is darkly sexy and became immediate favorite of the album. Next track "Hallucinations" features a building intro keeps me in suspense in the best way. "Lust" evokes a sound like a crossover of Western ride-into-the-sunset with 60's psychedelic pop. The inspiration of JaMC once again makes itself evident in the sparkle of "Dead Sound," and for the next two tracks. "Expelled From Love"has a kind of doom-ridden repetitive sort of drone, once again calling that build-up that I liked about "Hallucinations." "You Want The Candy"is that glorious mix of girlpop Ronettes/Shangri-Las inspired material with the fuzzy guitars that I love so much, and the vibe continues into "Blitzed" and "Sad Transmission." The ambiance changes with "With My Eyes Closed," shifting to something slower, clearer, and mellow, only to shift again"The Beat Dies." That goes to a slow-dance pop echo distortion that sweeps me up. Bonus tracks "My Heartbeat's Dying" and "Honey, I Never Had You" do the blend thing again.

If I have a single problem with the record, it lies in that the songs are too bloody short. At a runtime of 47:12 (US version with two bonus tracks, one of which is a European LP-only bonus), it should feel much longer than it does. Most of the songs are around the three minute mark; while I have no problems with brevity, I'm just getting into them when they end and move to the next track.

The album art has this two-color 3-d look, like it was supposed to come with 3-d glasses (In the UK, it did. According to wikipedia, the album didn't chart in the UK because freebies are verboten and disqualify an album from the charts). Liner notes are a single sheet, folded in quarters, with lyrics for everything but the two bonus tracks. Nothing special, aside from the 3-d effect, but not lacking anything either.

I'm going to put this down as a recommended album for this year. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy the experience, it has enticed me to backtrack and pick up their previous recordings. NME informs us from a June article that they plan on releasing three EPs later this year (one each for the months September, October, and November), so I suppose I'll be picking those up as well.

While it is quite a good record, it's not exactly blowing my skull to little bits. Recommended, hell yes; top ten, probably; top five, probably not. But get it anyway. Chances are you'll not hear that many blends of 60s girlpop and distorted lo-fi rock, and this is the one to pick up.



The Raveonettes online and at myspace