Sound check

Rave on

New albums put a twist on rock

The Raveonettes
Lust Lust Lust
Vice

In the past few years, Danish indie rock duo The Raveonettes have managed to equal the sum of their influences. They largely owe the sound of their first two albums to The Jesus and Mary Chain, Velvet Underground, �50s doo-wop and �60s girl groups.

The sound of those records was filtered through a Phil Spector-like wall of sound, boosted up with a dark and foggy electro sounds and fuzz guitar. With an added dash of surf rock, their music was mind-blowing.

Unfortunately the Raveonettes cleaned up their sound on 2005�s Pretty in Black. This made their music more accessible, but it was precisely their junk-culture irreverence that made them worth hearing in the first place.

The Raveonettes latest effort, Lust Lust Lust, splits the difference between the slightly too soft, radio-friendly sounds of Pretty in Black and the occasionally out-of-control distortion of their second album, Chain Gang of Love.

This time around the band has more experience and polish. The combination of songwriter/guitarist Sune Rose Wagner�s murky male vocals and Sharin Foo�s sweet female voice is more perfect than ever and creates a nice atmosphere.

Opening track �Aly, Walk With Me� has a groovy little background beat that really makes the track stand out. �Blush� and �Blitzed� are obscure takes on beach pop, while �Black Satin� and �You Want the Candy� are upbeat and catchy bubblegum-pop numbers with subtle electronic effects.

Overall, the music on Lust Lust Lust might not be new or original, but it�s the Raveonettes finest work to date. If you�re tired of recent offerings in rock and want to experience music made by people who are obviously passionate about what they do, then this is definitely worth checking out. �TB

Klear
Stay Alive
Genie Records

Klear are a new rock band on Genie Records. You might recognise them as the opening band for popular rockers Bodyslam at their Save My Life concert. Klear�s first album Stay Alive has already received some very positive feedback.

The first single �Kor Krai Sak Kon (Give Me Someone)� is great, with female singer Pat�s powerful voice riding over a fast rhythm. �Hai (Lost)� is another standout track � again with great singing from Pat.

Stay Alive is basically rock, but it also mixes in some jazzy sounds and gothic style. They also make imaginative use of the piano, which makes the songs more interesting and gives them a different slant than other rock bands.

Overall, there�s a nice merging of different styles on this record. It�s a good first effort, and it sounds like their popularity will continue to grow. � VH

	mind-blowing (adj): very exciting, impressive and surprising precisely (adv): used to emphasise that something is very true or obvious irreverence (n): a playful disrespect for certain things that are normally respected polish (n): a high quality of performance achieved with great skill obscure (adj): difficult to understand subtle (adj): organised in a clever way passionate (adj): showing strong feelings of enthusiasm for something imaginative (adj): having or showing new and exciting ideas