Customer Reviews

Chain Gang of Love

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I don't care what other reviewers have said about "Chain Gang of Love". The first full-length album by The Raveonettes rocks. I was at Borders this morning and I was curious to hear this cd. So I listened to a few tracks on one of the listening stations at Borders. Man! I was hooked right from the word go! Normally I am not into this so-called movement of the "The" bands (i.e The Strokes, The Hives, The Vines, etc...etc...) but this is different. Unlike the aforementioned bands, The Raveonettes manage to incorporate some infectious hooks into their music. I am not big on the whole distorted, fuzzed guitar sound but I thought it really works with The Raveonettes. The second I heard "Remember" my jaw literally dropped. When I listened to a sample of "The Great Love Sound", I was hooked. "Noisy Summer" made me want to buy the cd. Normally my musical tastes leans more towards the darker side lyrically and musically but I thought "Chain Gang of Love" was a half hour bliss of pure joy. It has a very retro sound, very Link Wray-ish, Buddy Holly-ish sound. After listening to "Chain Gang of Love", I am officially now a fan of The Raveonettes. They definitely are one of the best rock bands I have heard in a long time.

In recent years, I have more and more been struck by how moribund and uninspired much American rock and roll has been. Not that we are completely without first rate performers, but for the most part the freshness and originality has gone out of the music. Lately, however, I have been increasingly amazed by how many European bands are playing flat out awesome and fundamental rock and roll. I had been wondering if rock was dying, but now I'm wondering if we might not be in the midst of a quiet and modest European invasion that just might revitalize and save American music. Thanks to bands like the Hives and the Hellacoptors and the Raveonettes, this might be happening this very second.

I find every song on the album to be fascinating in the extreme. Every song seems to be the distillation of two or three great songs from the past. The title cut, for instance, sounds like a reworking of Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang" with Mickey and Sylvia's "Love is Strange." At various times on the album they remind me of a strange blend of the Primitives, Blondie, the Ramones, and My Bloody Valentine, all filtered through Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Between Sune Rose Wagner's fuzz tortured guitar riffs and Sharin Foo's pure, sweet vocals, the Raveonettes sound like no other band on the planet.

This is by no means one of the great albums one will encounter. But anyone tired of the more recent offerings in rock and who wants to experience music about which its makers are obviously passionate about, this is definitely worth checking out. It is fresh, innovative, and incredibly original, and that is at least part of what rock and roll is all about.

For a band like the Raveonettes, the second record is crucial. Their first release, Whip It On (a must-have, by the way), was thickly coated in buzz and hype, and the band's self-imposed rules for recording it (three minutes and three chords per song, no high hat, and all songs to be written in B-flat minor) were much publicized. The challenge for the Raveos with Chain Gang of Love, then, is knowing how much to change. Change too much, and you lose what people have come to think of as your "sound." Change too little, and it's a rehash.

I'm happy to report that Sune and Sharin have nailed it; no sophomore slump here. The duo mostly retained their restrictions for this effort--you're not likely to hear more than four chords in a song, and few of them break the three-minute mark. The most noticeable difference is the switch from B-flat minor to B-flat major. Where Whip It On was a dark, driving meditation on beat mythology, Chain Gang explores the soda-pop musical conventions of the 1950s with relentless delight. The result is both greater musical complexity (the major key allows Sune and Sharin's vocal harmonies to broaden) and increased thematic subtlety (the tunes are bubbly but still menacing, thanks to healthy doses of the Raveos' signature mechanical noise and Sune's beat-youth lyrics).

Listeners who thought Whip It On was too much like one long song will be somewhat appeased by Chain Gang; it's still one key, but the songs differ from each other much more in terms of tempo and instrumentation than did the songs on Whip It On. There's even a song in triple meter ("The Truth About Johnny").

As with Whip It On (and just about any rock that's worth listening to nowadays), it's on your second listen that you'll really start to dig Chain Gang of Love. But once you do, it'll stick with you; you'll find yourself singing "know my heart's black cause I gotta go" all day long.

What makes the Raveonettes so special, even in the context of all the other great new bands emerging recently, is their unique vision. There are plenty of rock bands drawing inspiration from the blues (the White Stripes, the Kills, the Von Bondies, etc.) and the 1980s (Interpol, the Sounds, even the Dandy Warhols on their latest album), and they're all killer bands. But the Raveos' 21st-century riff on Buddy Holly, Jack Kerouac, motorcycle gangs and girl groups, is really unusual and delicious...Chain Gang of Love is definitely worth your time and money. Highly recommended.

After several listens and constant hopes of finally "getting" the album, I just can't get into it. Not to say the songs are bad: there's some good pop melodies aching to bust loose of the glossy wall of feedback production. But there lies the problem: in trying to drench the album in feedback, they effectively dampen the impact the songs could have without 15 tracks of noise. Perhaps the next time...

The Raveonettes are an icon of sorts. While there are other bands out there with this sound, The Raveonettes will always be one of a kind.

With The Chain Gang Of Love, we are treated to some very laid back yet poppy music. Under strict and odd rules, this entire album is in the key of B flat. Why? Psh, I have no idea! When you add this little strange fact, the limited diversity in the drums (the drumming is very primitive on this album), and a sense of bubble-gum pop and a trippy and equally catchy feeling to every song, you're going to end up with a CD that "sounds the same" throughout most of it's tracks. Is that a bad thing? I can be -- just not in this case. The Raveonettes have come up with a formula here that has supported their career from the start and probably will continue until they retire. And this forumla is worth hearing in these 13 songs, even if they are similar. Because good music never gets old!

As for these particular songs...well, they're just plain wonderful! The guitar parts consist mostly of jangly, open-chords ringing out with a fuzz effect that tickles your ears like a good foamy root beer would tickle your lips. The bass also takes on a bit of a fuzzy approach, although remaining sweet and melodically adaptive to the rest of the instruments. The drums, as I mentioned before, are extremely simplified, yet deliver the beats necessary to bring home these pop tunes of greatness. But the greatness doesn't stop there! The vocal work is undeniably the best part of the music. A male and female sing most of the lyrics together with amazing harmony. They take on an almost lullaby feel with their sweet'n'soft vocalizing. I believe there is also a keyboardist of some type (or possibly just some computer editing) that adds in some strange yet pleasant noises to accompany this array of musical goodness.

And I must not forget the other attracting point to this CD -- it's one hell of a soundtrack to get high to (if you're into that sort of thing). Still, even if you don't use substances to enhance your experience, The Chain Gang Of Love should be enough by itself to trip you out and bring your soul into a place of musical bliss. If you're into the softer side of rock, then this is a must-buy.

Unlike a lot of the people here I heard chain gang of love before I heard whip it on, so I was much less opposed to the differences between the albums, ie recording in b flat major instead of b flat minor, which for some reason has made them lose their edge. I find that this works better for them, because you notice the distortion more when contrasted against the pop rock that they play now, rather than what they used to play. This works even better when you see the dark, S & M inspired lyrics that go with the buddy holly style melodies. This contrast reminds me of the moldy peaches, who used the same tactic, only the peaches' musical talents were far inferior. The raveonettes did not sell out, or get pressured into changing their style of music by the record company. What the did is take their original "Venus in furs" message and sang it to the tune of "Peggy Sue". In my opinion, that makes their music that much cooler.

I don't see how anyone can think this is not cool. The marriage of fuzzed up dissonance and blissed out pop harmonies really works here. It's hard not to invoke the mighty VU but that's perfectly okay to do too. That was the whole point of the VU, remember? Like so many other European and Japanese bands of late, the Raveonettes have really latched on to the raggedy, DIY Garage spirit that made rock & roll so much fun in the first place. Who cares how many chords they play as long as their music is infused with so much infectious energy and sloppy enthusiasm? Quit analzying everything and just rock out!

I listened to this album one time through, top to bottom. Once finished, I got up from my seat, walked over to my CD collection, removed all albums by the Melvins, the Jesus Lizard, and Afghan Whigs, and proceeded to my nearest record store. I dumped the CD's down on the counter, got a store credit for just over [money amount]and used the credit to buy Phil Spector's "Back to Mono".

I'm going to spend the weekend sipping gin martinis, watching old Foxy Brown flics, and listening to "Chain Gang of Love"!

I bought Whip It On the day it came out and LOVED it. Then, i bought this one and loved it too. If you like grungy, distorted rock with sweet melodic voices, this CD is definitely for you.
This is whiplash rock n' roll baby.

To me I felt certain songs gave off a California sound, and wouldve felt right at home in the early 60s, but with cunning originality to bring it up into the new millenium.
I liked this one.