The Raveonettes – Lust Lust Lust
Vice Records (2/19/08)
Rock / Alternative
Frontman Sune Rose Wagner recently explained to NME that the title of this, the band’s fourth album, Lust Lust Lust, was derived from the album’s lyrical content. This is apparent as the themes explored therein are much the same as previous offerings, delving into the world of death, sex and desire.
The critical darlings burst onto the scene in 2002 with their debut LP, Whip It On, written completely around the key of B-flat minor. Their follow-up, Chain Gang of Love kept their blend of pop fierceness going, and their last recording, Pretty In Black took a bit of a turn, with a much more decidedly ’50s-era sock-hop tone. Lust, Lust, Lust takes the listener back to the group’s earlier days; an album with hints of ’60s-noir-surfer-rock laced with the duo’s signature eardrum-shattering guitar feedback effect.
The album was self-produced and self-recorded without the use of live drums or bass. To add to the mystique, it’s a bit heavier and has an edgier sound in comparison to any other record in their catalog. It also gives the band a little bit of a broader sense of cinematic drama and style. The North American version of the album also features two bonus tracks, “My Heart’s Dying” and “Honey, I Never Had You”.
The set kicks off with “Aly, Walk With Me” a hypnotic groove-based song with their signature quiet-to-loud guitar shifts. The other standouts include their bubbly saturated song, “You Want the Candy”, the inexplicably sweet “Dead Sound” and the discordant but melodic, “Expelled from Love”.
Aside from existing Raveonettes fans, lovers of The Jesus and Mary Chain, Lush and The Velvet Underground would do best to add this standout album to their collection.
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