THE RAVEONETTES – IN AND OUT OF CONTROL

The potency of the Raveonettes is undeniable – since their beginning days of Spector-esque wall of dark Danish pop, they’ve consistently twisted and turned their sch-tick to keep it interesting for themselves and their audience. But the potency factor in their tunes has always been their brilliantly nostalgic melodies offset with frightening textures of white noise. Their last album Lust Lust Lust encapsulated this Lynchian world in full force. Here, they’ve decided to abandon the mystery factor a little, and have adopted a bubble-gum inanity to the lyrics and melodies that is, not to put too fine a point on it, a bit annoying. There are some sophisticated sonic ideas scattered throughout, but the entire picture is shrouded with head-bobbing singalongs, such as the immensely twee Bang! and the eerily juxtaposed bop-along Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed). Things do diverge into thicker textures and broader feel with the jangling, Smiths-esque Last Dance and the admittedly seductive S.U.I.C.I.D.E, so all is not lost. But it just feels as though the choice to move into lighter poppier territory could have swayed in a different direction – whereas The Raveonettes have wanted to incorporate a different feel to the proceedings, they’ve left some of their strengths in the wings and exposed new weaknesses.

**1/2