Recharge & Revolt

Song: Recharge & Revolt
Artist: The Raveonettes
Album: Raven in the Grave





Danish rock band The Raveonettes are set to release their fifth album, "Raven in the Grave" on April 4th.  The first single from the album will be lead track "Recharge & Revolt."

I'm a much more casual fan of The Raveonettes, a noise-rock duo from Copenhagen, that specialize in buzzed-out guitar rock heavily influences by The Jesus & Mary Chain as well as The Velvet Underground.    Since the one-two punch of their debut E.P. "Whip it On" (with each song in B-Flat Minor) and their first full length "Chain Gang of Love" (with each song in B-Flat Minor) the band expanded their sound a bit on their excellent, (and personal favorite) 2005's "Pretty in Black."  I'd lost a little interest from their third album "Lust Lust Lust," and missed their last, 2009's "In and Out of Control" altogether.  Whoops.

Well, it was no surprise to me that the bands latest, "Raven in the Grave" is more of the same.   That said, nobody's really doing what the Raveonettes are doing, and the retro-rock 50's leather cool vibe never tires completely right?  Plus, "Recharge & Revolt," that opening track and first single is hard to resist.  With its jangle guitar, ethereal synths, and muted vocals... it's not the peppy fun of a single like "Trash Can of Love" but it has a dirty, immediate charm that's very cinematic to me.

The rest of the album is slow and dark yet pretty in the Raveonettes way.  I really like the dramatic "Apparitions," which is filled with white noise and washed out melodies.  "Summer Moon" is the kind of track that's really the band's bread and butter; slow, guitar-based ballads that remind me A LOT of some of the tunes Angelo Badalamenti wrote with Julie Cruise for "Twin Peaks," harking back to the same era that The Raveonettes do in their music.  The connection to that time period is key to getting their aesthetic.

This might simply be "another album" if you're not exactly gaga for the band, but fans will surely enjoy. While I might think they are held back slightly by their sound, "Raven in the Grave" is a nice reminder that they do do it well...

Enjoy.

Recharge & Revolt


Apparitions


Evil Seeds