Raveonettes - Pretty In Black

by Anthony Strutt

published: 24 / 7 / 2005

Label: Columbia
Format: CD

intro

First rate combination of 50's rock 'n' roll and Jesus and Mary Chain discordance from the Raveonettes, back with a third album

I buy and receive lots of CDs, and generally play them a few times and then they become a memory. This year,however, the Departure album's blew me away, but now the Raveonettes 'Pretty in Black' has taken its place. In the two weeks I have had it I must have played it at the very least thirty times...And I still think that it is great. This will easily be my album of the year. The Raveonettes have already released my favourite record ever made,' Whip it On', which replaced my previous favourite 'The Velvet Undergound and Nico.' The 17 track UK version of 'Pretty in Black' opens up with 'The Heavens' which is a slow ballad, entirely played on acoustic instruments. 'Seductress of Bums'has a country twang and is in a 50's vein.'Love in a Thrashcan' is 50's twang punk rock at its best, the best sex on record ever... 'Sleepwalking' has a more aggressive edge to it,a beatnik driven beat and joint vocal duties from front people Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo. 'Uncertain times' is a summery number and completely uplifting, while 'My Boyfriend's Back' is a cover and comes across as a combination between the 'Grease' soundtrack and the Jesus and Mary Chain. 'Here Comes Mary' is a perfect rewrite of the Everly Brothers 'All I Have to Do is Dream' but is more sleazy. God, I love this band. 'Twilight is Haunting', has another fast edge, and is a great punk pogoing classic. 'Somewhere In Texas' is stunning. It opened up my first Raveonettes gig in over a year, and I fell in love with it there and then. It's very different from other Raveonettes material. This is followed by 'You Say, You Lie.' It has double drumming and features sweet little Moe Tucker on it. It is again perfect... 'Ode to LA' is a 60's classic and features a duet between Ronnie Spector and Sharin Foo, rewritten for the 21st century. 'If Only I Could Cry', the B side' to 'Ode to LA', follows that. A restrained cover of Buddy Holly's 'Everyday' comes next, which is very slow and doomy and eerie as hell. The spaghetti western flavoured 'Black Wave' is after that. 'I Wanna Be Taken' then gently closes the album. Absolute genius. These guys, love them to death.......

Track Listing:-

1 The Heavens
2 Seductress Of Bums
3 Love In A Trashcan
4 Sleepwalking
5 Uncertain Times
6 My Boyfriend's Back
7 Here Comes Mary
8 Red Tan
9 Twilight
10 Somewhere In Texas
11 You Say You Lie
12 Ode To L.A.
13 If I Was Young

Band Links:-

http://www.theraveonettes.com/
https://www.facebook.com/theraveonettes
https://twitter.com/theraveonettes
https://plus.google.com/+theraveonettes
https://www.youtube.com/user/theraveonettes
https://www.songkick.com/artists/412456-raveonettes

Label Links:-

http://www.columbia.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/ColumbiaRecordsUK
https://twitter.com/ColumbiaUK
https://www.youtube.com/user/icolumbia

interviews

Interview (2009)

In our third interview with 50s-influenced Danish garage rock group the Raveonettes, Anthony Strutt speaks to Sune Rose Wagner, the group's guitarist and singer, about their recently released fifth album, 'In and Out of Control'

Interview (2005)

Interview (2003)

live reviews

Raveonettes

Marie Hazelwood photographs Danish garage rock duo the Raveonettes at a gig at Erics in Liverpool

Rough Trade East, London, 6/10/2009

Astoria, London, 6/2/2004

London Astoria, 6/2/3003

features

Whip It On (2003)

After profiling the original version of the Raveonettes 'Whip it On' last month which came out on Crunchy Frog , Anthony Strutt now looks at the new version of the album which has been released on Columbia, and concludes that it is even better

Whip It Up (2003)

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