RAVEONETTES — “IN AND OUT OF CONTROL”

RAVEONETTES — “IN AND OUT OF CONTROL”
By Rick Zeigler

There is nothing “out of control” on the Raveonettes fourth, and finest, album. The duo of Sune Rose Wagner (songwriter, master instrumentalist) and Sharon Foo (singer) are still centered on combining sixties girl-group and garage-rock goodness with lots of fuzzed-out guitars, echo, and the occasional blast of distortion. But unlike previous albums, which were either too sweet, too distorted, or too wrapped up in some concept (e.g., their second album had all songs in the key of B-minor), they have struck just the right balance with In And Out Of Control. The hooks keep coming fast and furious, with lots of “ba-ba-ba” background vocals, three-note guitar figures, and lovely melodies over driving rock beats. The kicker this time is that the lyrics, dressed up in gorgeous, hummable melodies, tend to explore much darker subject matter. Opener “Bang” sets the bar high with its Phil Spector chorus over layers of guitars, with the central character ready for some adolescent fun with her partner, who is described as “vicious,” “evil,” and “controlling”.  “Last Dance” uses glockenspiels and soft-as-silk vocals to create a lovely, melodic backdrop for a tale of the singer constantly taking her lover to the hospital because he keeps overdosing. She simply wants to make sure he understands that, before that final dose, please save the dance for her. Even more explicit, and even lovelier, is “Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)”. Containing a beautiful minor-key guitar solo and wonderful sixties-ish vocals talking about “b-boys b-boys who rape should all be-be-be-be destroyed,” the song gives a simple depiction of the horrors of rape framed in undeniably catchy music.  And in case we haven’t yet caught on, there’s also a dreamy song about suicide (“Suicide”), as well as another entitled “Oh, I Buried You Today”. Despite these glaring contrasts between hummable music and dark subject matter, there is really nothing new going on here, as “Leader Of The Pack” and other death-obsessed sixties songs have always made clear. But as with those songs, when the writing and hooks are as strong as they are here, the combination of sugary sweetness and dark undertones can make for a very compelling listen.

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