Posted By Ben W. on November 18, 2009

The new Raveonettes album is great.

And no one is more surprised than me.

I am not what you would call a fan.

“Attack Of The Ghost Riders” was a pretty gimmicky, kind of annoying introductory single.

Pretty In Black in 2005 had a very nice Ronettes pastiche (“Ode To L.A.“) and that’s about it.

Last year’s Lust Lust Lust was an improvement but still was plagued by the band’s tendency to write every song into one of three templates. Variety is not their calling card (every song on their debut album was in the same key).

So how is it that In And Out Of Control is one of my favorite records of the year?

Two keys, I guess:

* One, it’s short. I love short albums. It’s so much better to give an audience nine or 10 really solid songs, rather than 15 decent ones. There’s nothing worse than an album that starts well only to overstay its welcome with five too many filler tracks on the second half. OK, maybe the smell of burnt broccoli is worse than that. It’s a close contest, though. Both are unpleasant.

In And Out Of Control is 11 songs, 37 minutes. Perfect length. Every cut justifies its inclusion.

* Two, the songs are good. That probably sounds stupid and obvious. But seriously, sometimes pop bands forget that good albums need good songs. The Raveonettes are a prime example. Their last two records relied way too heavily on style, attitude and production panache. This time, they finally brought the songwriting goods.

They haven’t reinvented their sound. They’re still mixing shoegaze noise with 50s rock, early surf and 60s girl-group cliches. What they have done differently though is raise their standard for hooks.

Whereas in the past the verses and main riffs to songs like “Last Dance” (see above) and “Suicide” would be enough for the Danish duo, this time they’ve focused on pushing forward to even catchier choruses. Both songs have monster refrains worthy of classic 80s singles.

Similarly, “Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)” has clever production sound effects and a propulsive beat. Previous Raveonettes offerings would stop there. But now “Boys Who Rape” also has a fantastic chorus and a creative arrangement twist at the end when a doo-wop vocal carries the coda.

This the kind of extra songwriting effort that was missing before. And now that it’s there, with their standard style and flash, the result is the best album of their career.

One of the bigger pleasant surprises of the year.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Jesus And The Mary Chain, The Raveonettes, The Ronettes