One of the most unique things about The Raveonettes sound is their vocals. The group, which consists solely of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo, sing simultaneously atop retro sounding pop songs mixed with shoe-gaze style guitar distortion. On their 2005 album Pretty in Black, the duo cut back on the noise filled distortion to focus on clean cut melodies and silky smooth production. Sadly, the Raveonettes mask their stylistic retro pop under layers of dissonance and white noise on their third studio album Lust Lust Lust, and leave us with less than stellar results.
Every song on Lust Lust Lust is filled with the sharp, sometimes piercing, sound of static. It fills each crack in each song like an inescapable plague. At times it washes over the tracks like a gentle wave, allowing the surf-rock guitar plucking and hypnotic Everly Brothers style vocals to gently ride the wave of fuzz into a solid aesthetically pleasing journey. I’m sure this is what the duo was attempting to accomplish on this album and when they pull it off, such as on the tracks "Blitzed" and "With My Eyes Closed," it’s very listenable. More than not though, the distortion and static just seem to drown out the pleasurable vocals and sweet melodies, hitting each song too much like an overpowering tidal wave.
On "Hallucinations," the slow melodic beginning slowly builds to a climax that consists of nothing more than an extremely unpleasant, high pitched, static filled guitar solo. "Black Satin," mixes dissonant noise with surf rock guitars, and paints the picture of a surfer who seems to very much be on a downer..
"The water’s cold deep and black/ Down again, board’s cracked/ And I drown, yeah I drown."
In typical Raveonettes fashion the lyrics on Lust Lust Lust are mostly dark and menacing, despite the often cheery melodies that accompany them. Sex, love and death intertwine throughout each song. While lost love is the muse on the somber "Expelled from Love," the sex tinged "I Want the Candy" should require little explanation.
"Give me candy I’ve never had/ Tastes so sweet makes good love bad."
To tell you the truth I really like The Raveonettes. I guess when it comes right down to it I’m just a sucker for the vocal harmonies between Wagner and Foo, I have been for years. But sadly, the group has failed to ever really put out a fully enjoyable album, and Lust Lust Lust is no exception. The album has plenty of good marks, but ultimately it feels weighed down by an unnecessary, overly dissonant approach and a touch of repetition. So far The Raveonettes have really disappointed me when it comes to releasing a quality LP, hopefully they’ll send us a wave worth catching next time.
TrackBack URI for this entry
