the Raveonettes
Chain Gang of Love
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Decrease Font SizeEditor's Review:
At first listen, The Raveonettes are charming. They are original ’50s-style
rock ‘n’ roll, the kind that can be found at any ’50s diner
on one of those miniature, individual-table jukeboxes. Male/female harmonized
vocals give their music a soft, breezy feel, and the drums pound happily away
underneath a slightly fuzzed-out bass and jangly surf guitars. Even with the
modern, static-like fuzz that occasionally fills up the background rhythm section,
everything is vintage — soaked in reverb and clad in black motorcycle
leather and spurred boots. Just like an episode of Happy Days.
And then there’s the lyrics. Lots of prostitution and sex, and stuff that
would bring the high-school dance to a screeching halt. “My girl is
a little animal / She always wants to fuck / I can’t find a reason why
/ I guess it’s just my luck.” The best part is the perfect,
unfaltering harmony the lines are sung with, like the Osmonds with less family
appeal. Of course, not every song is lyrically warped — “Love Can
Destroy Everything” is simply about how love can destroy everything, and
“That Great Love Sound” is an actual love song. A lot of the lyrics
are straight poetry, such as “New York Was Great”: “And
the stars we plucked from great black skies / And the stars we plucked from
New York skies / We placed them all in front of us and laughed.”
Play it for your friends, just don’t let grandpa listen too closely. Oh,
and it comes with a music video featuring the lead singers trying to kill each
other. Gee, Wally.
– Peter Kimmich
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 Record Label Columbia Released October 2003 |
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