The Lucid Dream: "Love in My Veins"

Some tasty psychedelic rock:

Jangle, check.

Tambourines, check.

Fuzzy guitars, check.

They've kept company with Brian Jonestown Massacre on a British psych compilation and toured with another good band I've featured on here recently, The Crocodiles. Good stuff, looking forward to hearing more. You can listen to several songs at their Soundcloud and Myspace pages (links below).

The Lucid Dream - Love In My Veins by The Lucid Dream

And here's the B-side "Devil Rides Out":

The Lucid Dream - Devil Rides Out 'The Time and Space Machine' re-mix 7" version by The Lucid Dream

Lucid Dream Soundcloud


Lucid Dream Myspace

New Sounds of Scotland--Part 12: Upcoming Releases and New Singles

In today's edition we'll mention some notable upcoming albums and showcase some singles from those releases.


Glasgow's Sons and Daughters are releasing their new LP, Mirror Mirror in June, as well. The band has been working at tweaking their hard hitting style with a bit of electronics, and I'm expecting a great album from this Rocksteady74 favorite. Below are two tracks and the promotional trailer for the album.

"Silver Spell"

Sons & Daughters - Silver Spell by DominoRecordCo

"Breaking Fun" Link

Trailer for Mirror Mirror





We discussed Edinburgh School for the Deaf in April (refresher view here). The band is releasing their debut LP of death jangle, New Youth Bible, in June. You can listen to the just released single below.

"Orpheus Descending/Orpheus Ascending"

Edinburgh School for the Deaf - Orpheus Descending/Orpheus Ascending by bubblegumrecords



I'm very happy to report that the beginning of fall will bring a new long playing present from one of my favorite young Scottish bands, Wake the President. The band plays classic Glasgow post punk indie pop characterized by Erik Sanberg's wry lyrical stories and punctuated by Bjorn Sanberg's excellent guitar work. While we wait for the album we can listen to its first single release:

"Elaine"

Elaine (1st 7" single from the new album) by Wake the President

A band we've profiled in March, SHe's HiT, will be releasing their first LP in June. We intend to review the album closer to its launch. For readers who need or want to refresh their memories, you can review our previous discussion of SHe's HiT here, and the video for their new single here.

Richard Buckner: "Traitor" from Our Blood

Merge Records announces a new Buckner record in August. It's been a while (since Meadow in 2006), but his records are worth the wait.

First song is "Traitors"

Sounds great, and good to have him back...

Here's an older video, actually one of those amazing moments you wish you'd seen in person... and if you did, you'd be telling your friends about it until they got sick of hearing about it.



Richard Buckner Website at Merge Records

Parts & Labor: "Echo Chamber" from Constant Future

Pretty good record by this Brooklyn band on Jagjaguwar Records. Having a hard time categorizing it, I saw where somebody called it "experimental rock", and I would probably declare the experiment a success. It's pretty aggressive, and the heavy drums and guitars really move along while the synths add some nice texture. Wall of Voodoo with attitude? King Crimson meets Bad Brains? How about "really, really good"? Seriously, give it a try...



Here's their website, and you can listen to the whole thing, song by song, just by clicking on the multicolored outstretched hands from left to right:

Parts & Labor: Constant Future

Lo-Fi Freebies: Honeydrum; We Are Losers

Some days one can wander around the internet looking for new and interesting music and realize that you've accomplished little other than avoiding that long list of spring yard duties that normal people think need to be accomplished. But some days yield exciting discoveries. And the best days yield exciting free discoveries.

Today brings you two bands with a lo-fi approach to pop music, and they have made EPs available for downloading at the Bandcamp links I've provided.


The first free EP is Vacation from the New Brunswick, New Jersey group Honeydrum. If you look closely at their Bandcamp page, you'll notice two additional EPs available for free download. That's nine songs, and they are good songs.
"Shy Boy"

Honeydrum - Shy Boy from Behind the Walk-in on Vimeo.

"Romper Stomper"

Honeydrum - Romper Stomp from honeydrum on Vimeo.

Honeydrum records on the Amdiscs label. Check out the Tumblr link below to view their multiple releases with some videos.
Bandcamp
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The second generously provided release is the We Are Losers EP from the Irish band We Are Losers.

The members of We Are Losers are Gavin Elsted, Gary Clarke, Bronwyn Murphy-White and Steve Colan, and they are signed to the Ghost Planet label.
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REVIEW: Kasey Anderson and the Honkies - Heart of A Dog

Kasey Anderson sheds his alt.country/singer-songwriter shackles to let 'er rip on his latest CD Heart of a Dog (Red River Records). It's pure rock'n'roll, a joyride, though still rooted in Anderson's well told, well crafted songs.

Here's the video of the lead track "The Wrong Light":



The record closes with a blistering bar band cover of the English Beat classic "Save It For Later". Picture Bruce and The E Street Band ripping through it at the end of a third encore on a night they are really feeling it.

http://hypem.com/#!/search/Kasey+Anderson+and+The+Honkies

There are many great songs here, 2 of my favorites being the piano driven, mid-tempo rocker "Exit Ghost", and the rollicking guitar romp "Sirens and Thunder". The more straightforward rock'n'roll approach suits Anderson's strong, bourbon-soaked voice well. He can belt and also dial it back effectively. He's a natural singer who conveys a ton of emotion without ever having to overdo it. Listen here:



This blog has been a tireless supporter of The Drive-By Truckers and Centro-Matic. Fans of both those bands are going to like this record a whole lot and should seek it out.

The title of the record is taken from a Mikhail Bulgakov novella, which Anderson says contains a passage that sums up the soul of this record for him: "By kindness. The only method possible in dealing with other living creatrues. By terror you cannot get anywhere with an animal, no matter what its stage of development. I've always asserted this, I assert it today, and I shall go on asserting it. They are wrong thinking that terror will help them."

Here's a fairly recent live video of an older song not on this record, giving you a peek at Kasey Anderson's presence and confident delivery:



Artist web page: http://www.kaseyanderson.com/

Midnight World Pop Scout-12: Shit Robot; Belleruche; Bomba Estereo

Shit Robot is Marcus Lambkin. Marcus lists his home town as Dublin, New York and Stuttgart.
He recently released the video for "Losing My Patience" from the 2010 debut LP From the Cradle to the Rave:

Shit Robot - Losing My Patience from DFA Records on Vimeo.

In addition to creating very good house/disco/electronic dance rock, the videos display an inventive visual style.

"Take 'Em Up"



"Tuff Enuff"



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Belleruche is a London based three piece consisting of Kathrin DeBoer, DJ Modest and Ricky Fabulous. They record on the Tru Thoughts label, and their LP 270 Stories was released in October 2010. Their sound is bluesy electronic soul.

"Clockwatching" (2010).



"Fuzz Face" (December 2010)



"Late Train" (2009)



"You're Listening to the Worlds" (2009)



Bandcamp stream of Liberty EP HERE.

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Bomba Estereo is a electro pop dance group from Columbia. The members are Liliana Saumet, Simon Mejia, Kike Egurrola, and Julian Salazar, and they formed the band in 2001.

"Fuego"



"Feelin'"



"Pa Ti"



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Okay, see if you can pull a theme out of this.

It's Friday, and time for old stuff. I decided to go all thematic on yo asses. See if you can guess what it is. I'm trying to make it challenging, but I'll give you a hint: It happened, and you now will be able to return to your normal existences.

As a big thank you to our curiously large Danish readership, we'll start in Copenhagen, 1977.



Assuming a right turn at Albuquerque, the route from Copenhagen naturally passes through Bakersfield.



And we all know it is a very short distance from Bakersfield to Parts Unknown.



And for the denser (or more patient) among you -- there are older versions of this out there, but the crowd banter here is worth the click in and of itself.

Old Stuff Friday - The Soul Corner - Bettye LaVette

Bettye LaVette's story is too long to do justice to here, but, after being signed and ignored by Motown as a young singer, then snapped up by the great Jerry Wexler and Atlantic Records only to again be dumped without ever releasing an album, the Detroit native toiled in obscurity for decades.

Then in 2005, Joe Henry produced a remarkable collection of songs (I've Got My Own Hell to Raise) all written by females, perfectly suited for Ms. LaVette, and she got her first widespread recognition. Here's a live solo performance of one of that record's stand out tracks "I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got" (Sinead O'Connor), bare, brave and bold:



That album was followed by another terrific CD, Scene of the Crime, where Bettye was backed by the Drive By Truckers and produced by lead Trucker Patterson Hood. The Truckers gave her a greasy Muscle Shoals style of rocking soul that fit her tough and powerful voice well. And with those 2 releases, Bettye, by then in her '60s, suddenly had herself a successful career, with wildly great press, many TV performances and near constant touring.

Bettye doesn't just sing a song, she takes it hostage, redefines it, transform it from her own hardscrabble life experience and drains every last bit of emotion out of its lyrics and melody.

She's an American treasure and a testimony to never ever giving up your talent or dreams.

If you aren't familiar with her, do yourself a favor and pick up I've Got My Own Hell To Raise, easily one of my favorite CDs of the past 10 years. Here's "Joy" from that record (penned by Lucinda Williams) which then leads into "Let Me Down Easy" one of her earliest releases from 1965:



Bettye LaVette web page: http://www.bettyelavette.com/index.html

Friday Old Stuff: Index -- Black Album + Red Album + Yesterday & Today

Partially reflecting my inherent personal preferences, and probably also reflecting the era in which I started listening to popular music, I've always been drawn to psychedelic and garage rock sounds. I wouldn't want an exclusive diet of that music any more than I'd want an exclusive diet of quality ale...[Sorry, I think this analogy is broken beyond repair and I'm going to shut it down now]. Anyway, for those who share such tastes, I recently learned that Lion Production has combined the two mid-60s LPs, and a disc of previously unreleased material, from Index. Index hailed from affluent, suburban Detroit (specifically, Grosse Point) and played a druggy, edgy, psychedelic/garage rock. They weren't really well known even in their day, but give the music a try. You might just question whether Ian Curtis listened to Index before or during his Joy Division days, but I don't think there is any doubt that Iggy was a fan. The name of the compilation is Black Album + Red Album + Yesterday & Today.

"Fire Eyes"



Index's work boasts feedback, fuzzy guitars, an upfront rhythm section, and psychedelic riffs. But the fans find the beginnings of punk in their music as well, and I can't say they're wrong.

"Rainy Starle"



Index members were guitarist Jim Valice, drummer John B. Ford and bassist Gary Francis. The songs recorded by Index include original compositions and covers by other groups. But even in the case of the covers, the band makes the song their own.

"Israeli Blue"



The band's original name was Chicken Every Sunday. Originally, they were a party band, but became more interested in pursuing the psychedelic space in 1967 after hearing Jimi Hendrix recordings.

"Street Crime" has a more garage rock feel:



Founded in the mid-60s, the band was done by the end of the decade.

Lion Productions
Band biography

Cool Video Thursday

We featured Scottish garage/dirty surf band SHe's HiT last month. In advance of the June release of their LP, they are releasing the wonderful "Shimmer Shimmer" as a single. Here is the video:



An Horse will be discussed in the future, but for how here is the video for "Postcards"

Okkervil River: I Am Very Far, due out May 10

For some reason, these guys never really captured my attention until I spent some time with the disc they did with Roky Erickson last year, True Love Cast Out All Evil:



... that thing is a masterpiece, and I really got in sync with Okkervil River, and am consequently very excited about their upcoming disc. I'll add them to the list of awesome Texas rock bands I can't say enough good things about: Centro-matic, Old 97's, Deathray Davies...

This song, "Wake and Be Fine", is terrific.

Free track available here:

REVIEW: The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar

Big sound, really an immense rock sound from this Welsh trio (my first exposure to them, in fact, was one of Rocksteady's early Midnight World Pop Scout posts). I'm not sure I've heard guitars like this on a pop/rock record in quite a while... sure, Swervedriver, Teenage Fanclub, those bands really crank them up, but even at their loudest, I don't recall hearing their guitars shred like they do on some of these songs. And that doesn't even mention the drumming, which is gigantic, too. I'm reminded of Big Country, remember them? Look, I know my Welsh from my Scots, but still, there are similarities... the guitars are loud, strong and make all kinds of cool sounds, the drumming propels and anchors the big sound and of course, music like this requires a very strong vocalist.

Singer Ritzy Bryan has the vocal presence to stand in front of a band with a gigantic sound, which is saying quite a bit, and the harmony vocals are outstanding, too.

Video for "Whirring":



I think "Whirring" is the album's centerpiece and it certainly showcases all that this band is doing: the amped, treated guitars, the huge drum sounds and of course the strong, clear voice of Bryan. But they keep the pedal to the metal throughout and hit very few low points from beginning to end.

Here's another track: "Austere"



The Joy Formidable sound great to me, and they sound familiar in a way. I find myself trying to summon the exact analogue, but the best I can do are references like the above, and another band that I really liked, Creeper Lagoon. Like the music supplied by Creeper Lagoon in Orange County, this band's songs could certainly supply the emotional underpinnings of a coming-of-age movie with a twist. Who knows, perhaps the deal's been struck. They are on a major label, after all.

I suppose great things are expected, and I hope they come for this band. But even if they never make anything else quite this good, The Big Roar is worth celebrating... and cranking.

The Joy Formidable Website

Lost in the Trees

My favorite piece of music is not, as I may have expressed in a less guarded moment, Mclusky's 'whiteliberalonwhiteliberalaction.' My favorite musical composition is, rather, much more refined and civilized -- too civilized, in fact, for the likes of this damned place. Believe it or not, after a few beers the other night, I dialed up a version of it on youtube and almost -- almost -- posted it. I didn't, though, on the theory that if a friend lets you move into their apartment after you've just won your commitment hearing, you don't automatically rearrange the furniture, despite that such would, objectively, class up the place.

Anyway, that favorite musical composition is 'Fantasia on a Theme By Thomas Tallis', by Ralph Vaughan Williams. It's a breathtakingly powerful piece of late romantic classical music. Vaughan Williams is among my favorite composers in great part because he was obsessed with his native country's folk music, and his music was infused with it in very much the same way Yeats's poetry was an expression of his own obsession with what he perceived to be a vanishing Irish literary tradition. For both Williams and Yeats, the traditions they sought to preserve were largely unwritten, but rather passed orally from generation to generation. Williams, thankfully, took many trips into the English countryside to "collect" his country's folksongs by transcribing them. Many of these found their way into some of the most beautiful orchestral compositions of the twentieth century, including "Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1", "A Lark Ascending", "In a Fen Country", and his "Fantasia on 'Greensleeves'". His symphonies are crammed full of folk music, most notably, to me at least, his 5th ("Pastoral").

I really love classical music, but when I take a step back and think of my favorite composers, they seem to be the ones who are infatuated with their native music traditions. These include Bedrich Smetana, the "father" of Czech music, Mahler, Sibelius, Borodin, and even 'post-modernists' like the recently departed Henryk Gorecki. Of the Americans who borrowed heavily from native folk music, the most accomplished (to me) are Charles Ives and, of course, Aaron Copland. The Ives 2d Symphony is quintessentially American music, as are "Central Park in the Dark" and the later "Three Places in New England." Really, the only reason these works aren't regularly cited on blogs such as this is that the arrangements are for orchestral players. But make no mistake, those players performing Ives are truly kicking out the jams. They also are mining and thereby enriching our indigenous music traditions in very much the same way as a Cass McCombs or Titus Andronicus are -- and I'd argue just as unselfconsciously.

Well, that was supposed to be a much shorter and less didactic lead-in to a note about a very exciting band out of Chapel Hill called Lost in the Trees. The band is a collective (there are 7 of them right now, I think) of classically trained musicians who passionately play orchestral instruments in arrangements of the band's own rural folk songs. To be sure, there are also acoustic guitars, accordions, and other noises you don't hear at the symphony, all mixed in with frontman Ari Picker's beautiful, eerie yet unaffected vocals. There's also a certain gothic tinge to some of the songs, bringing to mind things like "Country Death Song" by the Violent Femmes. Check out the stunning video for the title track of their 2010 album on Anti- Records, "All Alone in an Empty House" and I imagine you'll agree. Ari Picker, by the way, is the dude watching events unfold from the chimney, and the ethereal backing vocal is by Emma Nadeau (I think). Just a fantastic song.



Much of the dark subject matter that permeates LITT's music flows from some gut-wrenching personal tragedy Picker has endured. To his credit, he's not afraid to talk about it, but to the band's credit, the songs certainly stand on their own musically and lyrically. A quick google search will find all that stuff. What am I, your waiter or something? Check out another really pro video for another great song -- "Walk Around the Lake".



The intrepid Chapel Hill label Trekky Records put out the original iteration of "All Alone in an Empty House", and the band's earlier EP "Time Taunts Me", so here's to them and their vision. Lost in the Trees is on the road (playing in Seattle as I write). Go say hello to them and buy their records.



Lost in the Trees website

Trekky Records website

Emerging Seattle Bands: Whalebones

Do you like '60s and '70s Neil Young/Crazy Horse style rock? If so, I think you might like Whalebones. Whalebones are a Seattle three piece composed of Justin Deary, Faustine Hudson and Bradford Button. The music reflects psych and folk rock influences with a lot of fuzzy guitar. The group is finishing an album for release later this year.





"I Don't Want to Live in the City No More"



"Surrounded by Fire" live at the Sunset Tavern in Seattle, April 2, 2011:



"Hawk Feathers" live at the Comet Tavern in Seattle, February 2011:



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New Sounds of Scotland-Part 11: Zoey Van Goey

Zoey Van Goey is referred to as a Glasgow band, which makes sense as they are based in Glasgow and are signed to the respected Chemical Underground label founded by the members of The Delgados. The details are a bit more complicated as the founding members are non-Scots Mike Brennan (from Canada), Michael John McCarthy (from Ireland), and Kim Moore (from England), all of whom met at Glasgow University. Adam Scott added to the mix in 2010 (I don't know his country of origin).



Their first single was "Foxtrot Vandals" (2007)



The band's talent is evident by their music, and by the people they attract. "Foxtrot Vandals" was produced by Belle & Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch and released on Say Dirty Records (the label founded by the twins who anchor Glasgow band Wake the President). Their second single, and first LP The Cage Was Unlocked All Along, both were produced by Paul Savage, the former drummer for The Delgados. The style is adventuresome and eclectic. One reviewer referred to them as 'the Postal Service with a sense of humor', but I think that is too limiting. My view, which is rarely wrong, is that they are more like a combination of Yo La Tengo, the poppier stylings of The Delgados and The Magnetic Fields. And that alone should interest the discriminating reader. The second LP, Propeller Versus Wings, also produced by Savage, was released in February 2011.

"The Cake and Eating It", from the new album:



The songs on Propeller Versus Wings touch on a number of styles, but all seem to spring from that same artistic personality, a bit goofy, a bit nerdy, a bit adventuresome, and a penchant for entertaining.

"You Told the Drunks I Knew Karate", from the new album:



"My Aviator", from the new album:

My Aviator from Eoin .N. Devlin on Vimeo.

By way of background, "We Don't Have That Kind Of Bread" from the 2009 release The Cage Was Unlocked All Along



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Artist's page at Chemikal Underground

Midnight World Pop Scout-11: The Rayographs; Morning Favorites; Jamaican singles

The Rayographs are Astrud Steehouder (guitar & vocals); Jessamine Tierney (bass & vcoals) and Amy Hurst (drums & vocals). They play a their own take of bluesy psychedelia with more than a touch of garage. Their first LP, Rayographs, will be released next week.

"Space of the Halls"



By the way, the band seems to be somewhat indifferent to whether "The" appears before "Rayographs". But don't confuse this band with "Rayograph" (singular), as that is a different artist.

When a fairly new band draws comparisons to Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, The Pixies, and Throwing Muses, and their recorded work is likened to Nick Cave's Tupelo, I'd be crazy not to take notice. And so would you, dear reader.

Live performance, October 2009



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Last year French group Morning Favorites released an album entitled The Five Red Flags. Here is the single "Every Single Day":


"Lonesome"


Members of the group are Remi Denis, Maxime Morredu, Romain Villard, and Jean Marc Wenger. The music is psychedelic pop. Check out "Closed Up in a Star" on the Myspace link below.

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Myspace (with more songs)

And now for a modern reggae set from Jamaica. First, Shaggy, Mr. Vegas and Outlaw Josey Wales laud "Sweet Jamaica". The video was filmed in 14 parishes on the island.



Next is the sweet voiced Gyptian in "Nah Let Go".



(Baby) Cham, with Bounty Killer and Mykal Rose, in "Stronger".

Friday Old Stuff -- Archers of Loaf / C.O.C.

Despite, or maybe because of, a healthy crop of new bands emerging from the Chapel Hill - Raleigh - Durham scene the past few years, we've also had a bit of a renaissance in these parts, with brilliant recent albums from area titans Superchunk and a reunited Polvo. Hell, there even have been multiple sightings of the great 90s punk band Pipe. Still, I think most of us were shocked a few weeks ago to read in the music press that Archers of Loaf had made an unannounced reappearance, playing a set at the Cat's Cradle as the opener for Raleigh's The Love Language.

Even so, there wasn't a whole lot of reason to believe it might be a full-blown "we're getting the band back together" sort of thing. Eric Bachmann has quieted down (some may say "matured"), and gone on to create a beautiful, separate music legacy with his Crooked Fingers project. In fact, the last I had heard, he had moved away from Chatham County and was living out west somewhere -- probably with a bunch of damned hippies or something. Then last week it was announced that AoL will be playing a nationwide tour this summer. So is it too much to begin hoping that this will be more than a nostalgia trip, and that we'll be seeing some new material making its way into their sets? Go see them and find out.

I think my favorite Archers song is "The Lowest Part is Free" from the EP "Vs. the Greatest of All Time." It's a pretty acerbic take on the music industry circa 1995 ("got nothing to say and you say it anyway").



And here's "Might", from "Icky Mettle". Can one, in two minutes, better capture the sound of the Chapel Hill scene in '94 than this?



It's coming on 30 years since a hardcore punk band called Corrosion of Conformity played its first shows as a band at the old Fallout Shelter at 2 S. West Street here in Raleigh. A lot has changed. The Fallout Shelter was replaced by a neighborhood gay bar in the mid-90s (I know the owners and they're great folks), and Woody Weatherman's parents' jewelry store a half mile up Hillsborough Street closed a couple of years ago and is now a Loco-Pops. Some things haven't changed. The Roast Grill is still across the street, and still has the old Coca-cola sign with the big block letters advertising "HOT WEINERS"-- all the more amusing given the "new" tenant across the way.

And COC changed as well. These changes were not only in the lineup (and there were many of those), but also in musical direction, as they seamlessly became one of the better metal bands in the 1990s. With "Blind", "Deliverance" and "Wiseblood", COC could point to a five year output of groundbreaking music that has been matched only rarely in any decade. I don't know that it's accurate to say COC ever "broke up", but last year they began playing shows as a trio again for the first time since the 80s. The lineup of Woody Weatherman, Mike Dean and Reed Mullin last played together in support of the 1985 album "Animosity", but are back in the studio recording an album of new material. They are also back on the road, playing last week in Holland at the Roadburn Festival (curated by Sunn O)))) (yes I spent some time wondering what to do about closing that previous parenthetical).

Here they are last week playing "Holier" from "Animosity".



Here's the classic "Big Problems" from the "Clerks" soundtrack.



This is a good live clip of "Wise Blood" from a show in Spain. Woody can really shred.

Friday Old Stuff: Neil Young with Dylan and The Band: "The Weight" from Wolfgang's Vault

Wolfgang's Vault is really an amazing website. You truly never know what you're going to find on there, and the updates are well worth subscribing to. Here's an example:

Concert Summary

Bob Dylan - guitar, vocals
Neil Young - guitar, piano, vocals
Tim Drummond - guitar
Ben Keith - pedal steel guitar
Rick Danko - bass, vocals
Garth Hudson - keyboards
Levon Helm - drums, vocals

Following the outstanding performances that proceeded it, this closing All-Star set from the 1975 Bay Area S.N.A.C.K. benefit had a lot to live up to. With a lineup that featured Neil Young and Bob Dylan, backed by two members from Neil's group, the Stray Gators, and three from the Band, one would expect this to be an incredible set. In some respects it certainly is, but the lack of rehearsal opportunity and technical problems prevent it from being the extraordinary performance it had the potential to be. This is not to say that there's anything less than enjoyable about the set, but it's more of an example of great musicians getting together for the sheer fun of it than a demonstration of collaborative innovation. The performances are loose and ragged, but definitely not without their charm.



Listen to more Neil Young at Wolfgang's Vault.j

It seemed fitting on an Old Stuff Friday to give these fine folks a plug, just in case there's anyone coming across our blog who doesn't already know about Wolfgang's Vault.

REVIEW: The Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave

The Raveonettes have always sounded both fresh and familiar, an updated swaggering sound that evokes fond personal memories and more generalized feelings of excitement and a hint of danger. The familiar is easy to understand because there is a decided retro feel to the reverb and distortion of the instrumentation and the boy-girl vocals. The freshness derives from the care in production and musicianship, as well as the evident intensity in the delivery.

For me, the world conjured by The Raveonettes' previous albums was the world of warm summer nights and running a Dodge Charger through the 1960s-1970s from town to the waterside bar at the Chain of Lakes (my kids aren't reading this, are they?). The only sure promise was cheap beer and the chance of checking out the other sex. But there was the chance of more--loving, fighting, crashing. Some nights ended happy and some did not, but all ended with stories.

So now we come to the 5th album from Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo, Raven in the Grave. The first single and opening track is "Recharge and Revolt". The beginning is recognizably The Raveonettes, but after the introduction, the synths swell up and provide a carpet of sound to carry the song.



The second track,"War in Heaven" begins with spare instrumentation. When the vocals drop in, they are soft and haunting. Several tracks later in the album take this approach as well. But whether the song is fast or amped up, or slow and soft, the music is enveloping and gorgeous.

The third track, "Forget that You're Young", is worthy of being a single. It has a bit of the bounce of previous work from the band, but feels more restrained and a bit sad:



To my ears, this album continues the magic that is The Raveonettes, but that doesn't mean it is the same. It still is night music, but generally it is slower and darker. It evokes coming home well after midnight, tired and driving slowly while peering though the fog. Or talking with friends about disappointments or opportunities past, friends that didn't make it that far or who might not make it much farther. The generous use of synths, in addition to the characteristic careful guitar work, enhance the somber atmosphere.

"Ignite" is one of my favorite songs on the album:



It isn't that album I thought it would be, but I very much like the album that it is.

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