Fans of Garage Rock rejoice. The new Raveonettes album isn’t just the best Garage album you’ll hear all year it’s probably the best album you’ll here all year period. I seriously can’t get enough of it. “In And Out Of Control” has all the fun qualities of 50’s and 60’s Rock, smooth vocal harmonies, rockabilly/surf inspired guitar work, and catchy foot stomping melodies. And none of it is done in a way that sounds like a rip-off of someone else’s sound. The closest semi-current band to compare them too would be The Jesus and Mary Chain and even that’s selling them short in a sense. I was a little worried when I went to see them last week at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, NJ only being familiar with their studio albums. I didn’t know what to expect at all from this Danish duo’s live show. I was partly worried that their sound was something that could only come from intense studio sessions and overdubs. But I was wrong. Dead wrong. Both Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo can play the shit out of a guitar and their vocal harmonies sounded just as good as on their records. Sharin even took a break from her guitar duties to play drums on a couple songs. The Raveonettes were the real deal. Check out the videos I posted from the show if you don’t believe me.
Back to “In And Out Of Control” though. The best part about this album is how they are able to pay tribute to acts like The Ronette’s and Buddy Holly musically but lyrically take things in a completely different direction with songs about abusive relationships exploding in the streets (Bang!), overdosing (Last Dance), rape (Boys Who Rape Should All Be Destroyed), runaways committing suicide (Suicide), death (Oh, I Buried You Today), and sadistic women mad for violent men (Break Up Girls!). They’re a little bit like The Ramones in this sense (they even reference listening to Rockaway Beach at one point). These songs are either fucked up odes to all the worst parts of the 50s and 60s turning idealistic notions of the time on its head, or they’re a direct reference to the modern day sugar coated by the sweet sounds of the past. Either way it’s a hell of an engaging listen, total Rock and Roll, and well worth buying. It’s worth picking up for the songs Gone Forever, Breaking Into Cars and Heart of Stone alone. I picked up the vinyl and not only does it come with a download code but the MP3s have been specially mastered so they don’t sound like shit when you’re listening on the go. Not much more that you can ask for.
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