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

1st impression: The Kills, Midnight Boom

The Kills’ Midnight Boom was so good I held off going to the bathroom until it was done, despite the fact that I really had to go. Squirming in my seat, alternately from excitement about the music and the building pressure in my bladder, I just couldn’t bear missing one minute. Now, I know bugger all about this band aside from sitting here and listening to what’s coming out of the speakers, but really, when the music excites you, what else do you need to know?

The music is of the garage rock/lo-fi indie variety, with elements of pop, punk, electronica and other little experiments including hand claps and coughed-up lungs working their way into the mix for sh**s and giggles. With Midnight Boom, it’s hard to pick out favorite tracks since they’re all so short. By the time I come to the realization, “I like this song,” it’s over and the next one is halfway through playing. The songs themselves lend some difficulty to pigeonhole this into any one genre, which I don't mind in the slightest; I'd rather a band take some chances than bore me with a lack of variety. However, while the majority of the album is busy kicking you in the pants repeatedly from odd angles, the last track, “Goodnight Bad Morning,” is a quiet little acoustic number and a really nice way to close out the album. Everything else, though, insists on grabbing you by the throat and not letting you go.

I’m putting this down as a first impression rather than a full review since I don’t have the actual album in my hands. The entirety of Midnight Boom is posted on the band’s myspace page, and it’s rather detrimental to the experience to jump back and forth between Firefox and a review in progress. Since you can go listen to it yourself, a review seems rather pointless, but I wanted to at least gush for a little about how much I am enjoying what I’ve heard.

My only complaint is that the album is only slightly over a half an hour long. I prefer albums to be around 40-50 minutes so as to really get into the music. Some really good tracks on Midnight Boom, such as “M.E.X.I.C.O.,” are criminally short. But what the hell, it doesn’t overstay its welcome, and gives you a one-two punch in the kidneys before pissing its name on your music collection and skipping away merrily. I’m looking forward to this release on Tuesday, March 18^th, and I hope you are too.

The Kills official website
The Kills myspace page