The Raveonettes

There always seem to be bands that have good songs but rarely have the wherewithal to produce a fully realized album. 10+ songs of consistently pleasing tunes seems to just elude these acts and usually leaves them seen as "also rans." Case in point: The Raveonettes.

With all the right touchstones (Phil Spector's 60s girl groups, girl/boy vocals, The Jesus and Marychain), The Raveonettes records simply seem to fall flat. Other than 1-2 memorable moments, each of their records left me a bit cold. Loved the idea but the execution lacked any real conviction. No cutting edge, not enough sex appeal, not enough "F off!" attitude, and not enough leather to really deliver on the promises. A few gems every time, but never a full record. They basically left themselves ready for a really good greatest hits record.

But with their latest, Lust Lust Lust, Sune and Sharin finally found a sweet spot. It's not one particular victory here that makes LLL a better record than their other outings. It's a bit of everything, tighter song writing, more noise, a bit less reliance on their influences as well as honestly having fun with all the preconceived notions. Somehow they finally got it right and I applaud them. Lust Lust Lust gets an 8. And "Dead Sound" in particular gets a 9.

The Raveonettes- Dead Sound from Lust Lust Lust
The Raveonettes- Little Animals from Chain Gang of Love
The Raveonettes- Love In A Trashcan from Pretty In Black

Also check out this great acoustic version of "Dead Sound" from the Black Cab Sessions. (Thx to Christen for the heads up on this one.)