Customer Reviews

Pretty In Black

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's different than their previous release, much cleaner, but is that good? The first track "The Heavens" is a nice, slow Elvis influenced track with acoustic guitar. I think there is too much reverb on the vocals, but overall a very nice, melodic track. Track 2 is kind of boring, male/female vocal duet type of song, but with slow techno drums that don't work very well. They could have used real drums, or real sounding drums and it would have been a lot better. Nice guitar playing, though. Track 3 "Love in a Trashcan" is a standout track, but again the drums are lacking energy, I don't think it's a drum machine on this track, but I don't like the drums that much. The guitar is good, and the vocals are great.
Track 4 "Sleepwalking" is a 5 star track, it sounds like the band Slowdive but not quite as serious. Great production on this track, I like the drums, they sound real and have a lot of feeling. This is a great track.
Track 5 "Uncertain Times", is another excellent track that sounds like early shoegazer without the feedback, more acoustic and with great melodic surf guitar. I really like the softer vocals by the male vocalist, not many singers can do that and do it well. The vocal harmonies are especially nice on this track. The drums are stiff but they sound like real drums for the most part.
Track 6, the cover of "My Boyfriend's Back", is very good, and the vocals sound excellent. However, it sounds like they really wanted to stick to the original, and that's great, but why use the krappy drum machine? If they would have used real drums it would be a 5 star track, instead I give it 3 and a half stars.
Track 7, "Here Comes Mary", is one of my favorite tracks on this album. It sounds like "Dream, Dream, Dream" by the Everly Brothers, hopefully they won't get sued. The harmonies are excellent and it's like Slowdive singing the Everly Brothers, very great. The drums are slightly lacking on this track, but it doesn't matter because it works on this track.
Track 8, "Red Tan" is lacking. I wouldn't have put this track right after the previous track because it's very similar and not as good as track 7. I like the surf guitar on this track as well, but it's just a weak song. I still like it though, because it's the Raveonettes and they have a great sound. Just the surf guitar and the harmony vocals are a nice combination even though the song isn't their best.
Track 9, "Twilight" sounds like the band The Dandy Warhols, and thats a good thing. The drums are lacking again on this track, it sounds like a drum machine kind of, not totally. It sounds like the drums the Cure used to use when they actually played the drums through fake drum sounds. I prefer real drums for this kind of music, especially since The Raveonettes have opted for a more sincere 50's/60's style. They are getting mixed up here by putting New Wave drums with 60's garage sounding music. I'm not saying that's bad, but there is too much in the way of weak drums on this album. It worked on their last album because "Chain Gain" wasn't trying to be the real 50's/ 60's thing. It doesn't always work here.
Track 10, "Somewhere in Texas" is excellent, it really works. Classic Raveonettes, great harmonies, nice drums, great feel. It has a Stone Roses drum beat, but somehow captures the early 60's dark ranch/desert cow pasture vibe, Really nice.
Track 11, "You Say You Lie", sounds like early Cure, not the earliest Cure, but early. I like it, but it's kind of boring. Nothing much to say about it. If you like the Cure you might like this track, but
of course the vocals are totally different. It's a 3 star track at most.
Track 12, "Ode to L.A., is one my favorite songs on this disc. The feel just captures the whole late 50's vibe perfectly. They are going for a Beach Boys feel, and it just works great. And I think that is also Ronnie Spector singing lead vocals, that's a nice touch. This is a great quality, 5 star track. A lot of people won't like it because it's not Raveonettes, it's the new Raveonettes sound without all the distortion and feedback. I like that too, but the last album had plenty of that, this is a whole different thing. You may not like it if you're into the Psychocandy type of stuff.
The last track, "If I was young" is a little short, they should have developed it better. It's a really nice track with great guitar. Very mellow, it reminds me of something off Trinity Sessions by the Cowboy Junkies. They really should have went further with it.
Overall, this is great music that needs more of a live drum feel to really get a sincere early rock and roll sound, they also need more development, not in the production, but in the songwriting. They are on a major label so you have to respect the fact that they even sound as good as they do. Major labels never sign stuff like this and if they do on very rare occasion, they will still never promote it. For some reason they have chosen to promote this band and thats a great thing for music. Very Impressive. I hope they do a cover of "Sweetpea" by Tommy Roe on their next CD.

Let it be known: "Pretty in Black" is not the same Raveonettes you know and love.

Sure we have the creepy vocals from Sune Rose Wagner, and the rough retro sound. But after two increasingly catchy albums' worth of music, the Raveonettes have gotten a lot poppier. The trend started in "Chain Gang of Love" peaks here, in a controversial new sound that retains some of the gloomy grandeur, but loses the ragged lo-fi sound.

Acoustics and echoes start it off on a surprisingly soft note, considering that this was the band who turned "tornado rock" into an art form. And Sharin Foo takes lead vocals an ethereal ballad, before shifting back into garage-rock form with "Love in a Trashcan," which sounds like the Velvet Underground's catchier moments.

What follows is a mixture of rough-edged ballads and pop songs, mixed in with the slightly fuzzy rock'n'roll that the Raveonettes have made famous. That bleak sound remains in it, especially when Wagner sets his creepy vocals in the middle of the songs, or when he harmonizes alongside Foo for that androgynous effect.

A cringeworthy moment comes in with the truly awful cover of "My Boyfriend's Back," where Foo sings without a shred of irony, "look out now/cause he's comin' after you!/Hey ya hey ya/my boyfriend's back." Call me a weirdo, but right now I really long for songs about how your sweetie is a little animal and how she always wants to... well, you get the idea.

Anyhow, it's pretty obvious that the Raveonettes have turned a major corner with "Pretty in Black" -- it's catchy and retropoppy, and much of their "tornado-rock" edge has vanished. Instead of distortion pedals and bass, they use more percussion, guitar and some wicked organ,

Taken only by itself, is it a good album? Well, yes. It's not the same as the previous albums by the Raveonettes, but it is an entertaining indie pop album, alternately bleak and catchy, snide and dark. And it's rough, slightly fuzzed rhythms haven't changed too much -- they simply lack the dark distortion, which, ironically, was what attracted many fans to them.

The latter half of the album has some more exotic stylings, like a tambourine and some truly eerie electronic wobbles and wavers. And "Pretty In Black" does differ a lot from the previous two in one way: Sharin Foo lends her pretty, strong vocals to several songs, sometimes solo and sometimes alongside Wagner.

Retro mod-pop -- rather than dark distortion rock -- is the sound of "Pretty in Black," the lightest of the Raveonettes' albums thus far. Entertaining, but if they go any further into the pop wilderness, they may lose their edge altogether. Here's hoping they keep their accessibility, but don't lose that dark, rough edge.

This album came out today, but, since I preordered it from Sony, I've had it since Saturday! This is the third release from The Raveonettes and I must say that it is the best so far. On this album they continue with the trend they began on their last album, "Chain Gang of Love", and steer even further away from the "wall of noise" and focus more on their melodies.

"Pretty in Black", like their previous two releases, is heavily inspired by the 1950s/1960s garage band sound. The album includes a great cover version of The Angel's classic "My Boyfriend's Back" and a guest appearance by Ronnie Spector on "Ode to L.A.". And, is it just me, or does "Here Comes Mary" sound an awful lot like The Everly Borthers' "All I Have to do is Dream"?

Other highlights include the dancable first single, "Love in a Trashcan", the haunting "Sleepwalking" and, my personal favorite, the dreamy "Uncertain Times", which includes the lines "And if the atom bomb should end us both, I'll be happy to go to the stars with you". (It's really romantic, in an apocalyptic sort of way.)

So, so, so amazing. I loved "Chain Gang of Love", but this is so much better. The lyrics have matured, and they have once again succeeded in mixing yesterday's poppy beach boy tunes with today's alternative indie-rock. I was pleased to see that Ronnie Spector, lead singer of the once huge band in the 60's, The Ronnettes, is featured on "Ode to L.A." You can hear Sharin Foo's and Sune Rose Wagner's indvidual voices much better because they actually sing without both of them singing at the same time sometimes. They mix up their vocals, so there is variety, unlike "Chain Gang of Love." Also, with that album, although very good, the songs all sounded a little bit...well, very similiar, and in this one, they all sound so different. I know most people are like "I like the old Raveonettes!" But I think that this change is excellent, even though I love the old Raveonettes as well. Best thing about this album? Not one song is mediocre. They all exceed, they all get 5 stars by me. The most perfect album...It's so easy to get lost in the entire album. Incredible, incredible musical achievement.

The Raveonettes' new CD, Pretty in Black is a completely different experience compared to Whip it On and The Chain Gang of Love. This new one has 50's and 60's throwbacks in every song. Their new venture is much lighter, and much more varied than The Raveonettes' previous outings. 'Love in a Trashcan', the CD's first single, is very 60's mod--quite catchy, nice beat. Other highlights are 'Sleepwalking', the 'My Boyfriend's Back' cover, 'Ode to L.A.', and 'If I Was Young'. The only questionable song is 'Red Tan', which often sort of stutters in the opening-making me think my computer wasn't working properly- and the lines of it are rather repetitive. Besides that, it is a great CD if you are looking for an alternative to that generic mainstream music, if you are looking into indie music, or if you miss the sounds of the oldies.

True story: I bought the new Raveonettes and Ryan Adams albums on the same day, and popped them into my CD player. The CD started to play and for about 30 sec. I thought I was listening to Ryan Adams before I realized it was the Raveonettes! Talk about a change! No, this is not "Attack of the Ghost Riders"!

"Pretty in Black" (13 tracks, 44 min.) is a radical departure from the Raveonettes 2 previous releases. But is that such a bad thing? Well... it depends. If you are looking for more of the 'surfer-punk-rock' sound that the Raveonettes brought earlier, you will be mighty disappointed. Yet once you get over that, "Pretty in Black" has some great moments. Highlights include the current single "Love in a Trashcan", an irresistable hum-along, "My Boyfriend's Back" (with lead vocals from Sharin), and "Twilight". Most telling is "Ode to L.A.", with guest vocals from none other than the Ronettes' Ronnie Specter. Can the connection be any clearer? The R(ave)onettes! And that is how this album really feels... a disguised ode to the spirit of the Ronettes, and well done at that.

Sune Rose Wagner's obsession with the US era-late 50s is well documented, and it has never come across so much more than on this release. With "Pretty in Black" I don't know what it'll mean long-term for the Raveonettes, we'll just have to see. This is certainly not a bad album, but a such a radical departure from their previous sound. That said, the Raveonettes are coming to Cincinnati soon, and I know I don't wanna miss that!

I was introduced the Raveonettes when Chain Gang came out. I fell in love. I loved their cross between dark edginess and 50's pop music. Incredible. Well, Sune and Sharin have done it again. Pretty in Black has the "edginess" but they tackle more of the 50's ballads, then the happy-go-lucky pop music. Being that I was raised on the music of the 50's and 60's, I love this album. I think it will go down as one of my all time favs, ever.

The Raveonettes are an eccentric, arty Danish Duo, Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo (please tell me those aren't their real names) that have been a "band on the verge" for far too long now. They have consistently written some staggeringly-good, nerve jangling rock music buried within two prior albums that have been strange, stilted, and uneven at best.

Sune Rose Wagner at one point took his tongue and froze it to the entire back catalogue of the Jesus and Mary Chain. He has since released his tongue, although the taste remains. There are appealing undertones of a detached, cynical mirth manifesting in pretty vocals, lonely soundscapes, and a true gothic sensibility. But now, they are less gimmicky. They have gracefully abandoned their penchant for recording an album in one entire key, and have evaporated some of the fuzz that gave them not quite the edge they wanted, but a sort of shoegazing mirage that bogged them down rather than set them free.

"Pretty in Black" is a downtempo turn for the Raveonettes, Let it be known that past thrash n' dash rock tunes of theirs like "Attack of the Ghost Riders", "Beat City", and the glorious "That Great Love Sound" are not in evidence on this album. Instead, the band has pumped up its fetishistic flirtation with 50's kitsch, and have produced an album that manages to be catchy, imaginative, and most impressive of all, transformatively evocative. It is their best work yet, but probably won't please everyone.

I wouldn't be so amiss in saying there is something cinematic about this CD as well. Images of "Plan Nine from Outer Space" and "My Own Private Idaho" jointly press up against each other, while the production bathes the listener in a neon-violet shroud. The guitar riffs are softer, more delicate, and even catchier than ever before. The lyrics tend to be ironic, and almost self-referential. The music is lilting and melodic. Sune's fragile vocals are able to reach us now, whereas before I always felt there were some ethereal obstacles planted between his voice and the listener, which blocked the effectiveness of the songs.

"Love in a Trashcan" is a great, gentle danceable first single. The band does a solid and agreeable cover of "My Boyfriend's Back". "Uncertain Times" is a wonderful pop ballad that seems to recall R.E.M. circa Automatic for the People. Ronnie Spector of the Ronnettes, does a stellar guest vocal on the insanely good "Ode to L.A.", and "Here Comes Mary" and "Sleepwalking" are such fun and seductive tunes, you'll realize how clearly and forcefully this band has finally found its voice.

The best I can say is that this album is sweetly addictive, and I haven't tired of it in the least. Rock on, Denmark.

Noone seems to like change. But in some cases, change can be good if given a chance. I was a huge fan of their first two cds. I think, while this album is different than those two, it is a great progression. I, unlike others I guess, like it when bands try to progress and move on. The same goes for the new B.R.M.C. Everyone seems to be so put off by the difference in sound that they don't listen to the actual songs and album. If the Beatles had kept releasing Please Please Me over and over, we would have missed out on their best music! Open your minds!

If you own and love the two first albums, this new release from The Raveonettes might strike you as too calm during the first spin. But don't rush, "take a little time to get to know me" says the first sentence of "Heartbreak stroll" (on the previous cd "Chain gang of love"), so do that...
There are several great songs on this album (wich is particularely filled with ballads): The opener "The heavens", "Seductress of bums", "Ode to LA" (Ronnie Spector helps on this one, and her voice is still as brightful as it was on "Be my baby"!) and the surfer "Sleepwalking" are on the melancholic side. But then again you have "Love in a trashcan" a song that shows how cool can The Raveonettes get... the cover of "My boyfriend's back" is really good, and "Twilight"... The Raveonettes have done a Dance song!!!, and it's quite as catchy as Primal Scream's "Some velvet morning"!... we should start hearing some remixes of that song in short.
Yes you'll miss the furious melancholyc rock of "That great love sound" on this album, but this one will get you higher in emotions... and don't worry, I'm sure these two will rock again very soon...
One last comment, I love the girl's voice... and she's quite easy on the eyes too...