The Raveonettes
Lust Lust Lust

THE REVIEW

The Raveonettes are a duo from Copenhagen formed in 2001 from the meeting of Sune Rose Wagner (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Sharin Foo (bass, vocals, lyrics). Practically the classic indie duo "trendy chick + nerdy intellectual", very White Stripes.

Characterized by a concept with strong sixties connotations, and dedicated to a particular mix that over the years has embraced influences garage-pop-rock-noise-electronic-shoegaze, not without heavy citations (My Bloody Valentine, Jesus & Mary Chain in primis), the project easily wins over the listener, thanks to a series of always efficient cinematic-revival-pulp iconographies, but certainly not very original in these times of Franz Ferdinand & co. (to get an idea just take a look at the press photos and the covers of the first works, without obviously forgetting the pseudonym itself) 

Two decent discs, then a half misstep with the third work, the excessively sweet "Pretty In Black," (which also included Mauren Tucker, ex-Velvet Underground, on drums). The result was a tumultuous separation from the major Sony/Columbia, due to "different views" (I prefer to think of it as low sales), which led the two to opt for an independent production that with a series of good ideas, and artistic freedom led to the acclaimed "Lust Lust Lust" (2007), released on Fierce Panda Records, to date the most positive step in the still short career of the Danish duo. [“Now that we're no longer under contract with Sony”, “it's much easier to do everything we want, such as vinyl releases, 7 inches, and those things we once couldn't do because it was too 'complex' for the label.” Wagner's words on the matter].

If at the beginning the band was able to impose itself with a sharp garage-rock/noise-pop full of feedback, noise, and strictly B-flat pieces entrusted to Sune Rose Wagner's voice, this album's progress is different, conscious of the unprecedented dark and "passionate" mood (as the title suggests), now relies completely on the voice sometimes naïve sometimes sensual of the very blonde Sharin, who, between carefree moments like the negligible "You Want The Candy" and others (largely more present and convincing), with melancholic and nostalgic tones like the delightful "Black Satin" and the dark "Dead Sound", proves to be more than suitable for the new context, besides vocally far better than the initial Sune, who certainly didn't stand out for voice (very anonymous) and interpretation (decidedly cold).

The formula remains the usual vintage festival made of retro melodies, catchy riffs (the one of "Blush" holds up very well) guitar strumming that seems to come out of Happy Days (hard to get out of your head those of the excellent "Blitzed"). However, the changes are there and immediately catch the ear of those who had already had the chance to listen to the first Raveonettes: a cleaned-up sound, fewer distortions and noises compared to the beginnings (or at least more in the background than in the past), although starting play the hypnotic and feedback-heavy "Aly Walk With Me" (the best of the bunch) [here the unique video], and the reverberations of "Hallucinations" might be misleading. Stand out is the insertion of fair doses of lo-fi electronics on slower tracks ("Lust"), making "Lust Lust Lust" certainly a more accessible album compared to what has been heard in the past, without ever stumbling into the banal honeyed and predictable pop taste that its predecessor was guilty of. "Sad Transmission" being the other peak of a record that certainly doesn't lack beautiful songs; even in its simplicity, the combination of 60's riffs and loud distortions that almost drown out Sharin's voice works great!

A straightforward work with not too many pretensions that proves exciting in its sparse 40 minutes, convincing and showing an artistic maturity that makes this project one of the most interesting surprises in the indie scene. The fact that the 11 songs were chosen from over a hundred tracks gives respectable credibility to the potential of the tracklist. Surely the limitation in instruments (the artificial drums are not exactly the best) and a pinch of repetitiveness in the guitar riffs scale down a bit a work that could have certainly been better.

Meanwhile, just a few days ago the new "In and Out Of Control" was published: The sound has become even cleaner; I had the chance to listen to it just today, and except for a few tracks, it gave me the impression of another misstep. Will they be able to find decent continuity?!