Rave on until the heat's off
Danish twosome The Raveonettes return to rock the house with their brilliant latest effort Chain Gang of Love. Just like their successful debut eight-track EP Whip It On released last year, Chain Gang of Love is a cutting-edge album with attitude.
Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo like sticking to their rules of thumb when writing music. The first is to keep their songs short, with each piece lasting no more than three minutes. They record all the songs on the same musical scale. In Whip It On, all the tracks were written on the melancholic B minor-scale, but this is replaced by the delightful B flat major in Chain Gang of Love.
It is not hard to tell that The Raveonettes' music is heavily influenced by childhood favourites such as Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly and the Velvet Underground. But Wagner was not motivated to become a professional musician until he heard the sound of Sonic Youth and Jesus & Mary Chain. When he met Foo, who learned about ancient Hindustani classical music in India, they decided to take their music outside their homeland.
Chain Gang of Love is one of the best albums for hot summer days. You can't help but shake your bottom with the fast-paced, energetic beats drumming into your ears. The opening track is Remember, a medium garage pop rocker kicking off with a sharp, eerie guitar note. It is followed by the noisy but melodic The Great Love Sound. Noisy Summer is probably our last summer anthem.
But not all the songs are ear-splitting. The Love Gang, Love Can Destroy Everything and The Truth About Johnny slow things down a little. The title track reminds us of the sweetness of summer romance on a beach. The album ends with the light-hearted New York Was Great.
Chain Gang of Love is a fun and passionate record, and you have to get it before the winter breeze arrives.
VERDICT: we love it
