The Raveonettes "Pretty in Black" (2005)

Pretty in Black

release date: May 2, 2005

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]

producer: Richard Gottehrer, Sune Rose Wagner

label: Columbia - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "The Heavens" - 3. "Love in a Trashcan" - 5 . "Uncertain Times" - 6. "My Boyfriend's Back" - 7. "Here Comes Mary" - 11. "You Say You Lie" - 12. "Ode to L.A."

2nd studio album from The Raveonettes follows two years after the debut and is like that produced by veteran sound technician Richard Gottehrer in collaboration with Sune Wagner of the band. All except track #6 - a cover of a 60s song by The Angels written by R. Gottehrer, Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein - are credited Wagner, who is now credited as multi-instrumentalist handling synths, guitar, bass, drums, percussion and programming. Sharin Foo is exclusively credited as vocalist and on percussion. Additionally, a few recurring musicians also participate. This include guitarist Manoj Ramdas and drummer Jakob Hoyer, who both played on the band's ep debut as well as on Chain Gang of Love. Other than that, the album feature a few prominent guest artists, which count The Ronettes' legendary vocalist Ronnie Spector on vocal [track #12], Velvet Underground legend Maureen Tucker on drums on four tracks, and Suicide instrumentalist Martin Rev credited 'The Instrument' [guitar].

The album reveals a stylistic progression towards slower love song territory, and the songs are generally a bit longer. Like the debut, it contains 13 tracks but as opposed to the former's total running length at 33 minutes this one clocks in at 44:30 minutes. The songs are more traditionally composed with broader arrangements without losing the quality of a distinct sound. There's now definitely a stronger inspiration from Motown, country, and general pop songs of the early 60s, although, some tracks still reveal the bond to garage rock and surf rock. The front cover is like the debut held in cinematic b/w style as if situated in the 50s or 60s, only this time with the added 'technicolor' [added colours] style, and the title could suggest a hint at the 80s (Howard Deutch) popular film "Pretty in Pink" with its own references to the 50s and early 60s.

I believe this was the first full-length by the band that I listened to at the time of the release, and I recall finding it good, although, I didn't purchase the album until a few years later. I think, I initially still hoped Sune Wagner would produce stronger alt. rock music, and it took some time before I just accepted his retro-infused style of American twang and reverb, and then back in 2005, the band really stood on its own when pop music was overwhelmed by retro-waves in terms of synth pop and a new wave of post-punk revival flourished on both sides of the Atlantic. And Pretty in Black is far from those tendencies. The album was, however, genereally met by positive reviews and in retrospect it stands as a more original collection of songs than you'll find on the debut.

Recommended.

[ 👎allmusic.com 2 / 5, Pitchfork 6,8 / 10, PopMatters 3,5 / 5, NME, Rolling Stone, Uncut 4 / 5 stars ]

The Raveonettes "Chain Gang of Love" (2003)

Chain Gang of Love [debut]

release date: Aug. 25, 2003

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]

producer: Richard Gottehrer, Sune Rose Wagner

label: Columbia - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Remember" - 2. "That Great Love Sound" - 3. "Noisy Summer" - 5. "Let's Rave on" - 7. "Love Can Destroy Everything" - 8. "Heartbreak Stroll" - 11. "Chain Gang of Love" - 13. "New York Was Great"

Full-length studio debut by Danish band The Raveonettes following the ep debut Whip It On (May 2002) sees the band in a more traditional setup with a more professionally produced album - here co-produced with esteemed producer Richard Gottehrer, who had initiated his career working on 1960s albums as producer for The Angels, The Strangeloves, Dean Parrish, and The McCoys, during the 70s on albums by new wave artists like Blondie, Richard Hell & the Voivoids, and more traditional rock acts like Robert Gordon and Link Wray, and well into the 80s he produced albums for Joan Armatrading, The Go-Go's, The Fleshtones, Dr. Feelgood, before slowing down throughout the 90s where he worked on releases by Aerosmith and Miss B. Haven - after which Sune Wagner 'dug him out' to have someone with the skills to create a sound that would stand the test of time as a proper 60s production. Just as Gottehrer had written songs for and with former classic acts he has co-composed the song "That Great Love Sound" for this album together with Wagner, who is credited all other songs.

The Raveonettes had been singled out as part of a wave of upcoming artists, when Sony / Columbia signed the band, which again paved way for Wagner and Foo to work with a famous producer and to fund recording sessions in both Copenhagen and in New York. As with the ep-debut, the front cover suggests 1950s / early 60s with the duo on classic motorbikes as if still images taken from the 1953 film "The Wild One" featuring Marlon Brando, and it also comes with the same line as found on the ep: "Recorded in Glorious Bb-Minor". The album consists of 13 tracks with a total running time of 33 minutes making the compositions quite short. Compared to the one-year old ep, there's a slight turn towards a bolder garage rock and 60s pop music with strong bonds to surf rock and what became known as Phil Spector's wall-of-sound productions, which means a move away from the harder tones of rockabilly / psychobilly. "That Great Love Sound" and "Heartbreak Stroll" were selected for single releases but they didn't peak higher than number #34 and #49 respectively in the UK ("Heartbreak Stroll made a top-3 entry in Denmark), and the album made it to number #43 on the UK albums chart list, #53 in Sweden, and peaking as number #5 on the national list. Basically proving some international interest, though probably not as much as the label had wished for.

Chain Gang of Love is more than a decent debut. But one of the reasons it didn't succeed as well as the label had sat out for, could be an obvious link to noise rock act The Jesus and Mary Chain with bonds to the post-punk scene, indie rock of the 80s, which had all peaked at some point and what ultimately could appear as a too heavy mix of styles and influences pointing in too many directions - at least from distributors' and critics' point of view. However, the band still attracted an audience, although, at this point, they were still regarded as someone to keep an ear on. A potential was there but would they be able to fulfill the expectations?

Back in the day, I would probably have rated this 3 / 5 as the music didn't catch me. It's in retrospect that I have come to enjoy this more, and to see it as an important starting point to band's later releases but without this, they would never have been able to make such great albums later on, and then you have to give it to them and to Gottehrer: they have really made a distinct and classic sound on this one.

Recommended.

The Raveonettes "Whip It On" (2002) (ep)

Whip It On (ep) (debut)

release date: May 27, 2002

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]

producer: [rec. by Sune Rose Wagner]

label: Crunchy Frog - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: 1. "Attack of the Ghost Riders" - 2. "Veronica Fever" - 3. "Do You Believe Her" - 4. "Chains" - 5. "Cops on Our Tail" - 6. "My Tornado" - 7. "Bowels of the Beast" - 8. "Beat City"

Studio ep debut by Danish duo The Raveonettes consisting of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo. Wagner put an end to his brain-child Psyched Up Janis in 1999, and after a short stint with the instrumental psycho-billy band Tremolo Beer Gut, Wagner formed The Raveonettes with bassist Sharin Foo in late 2001. Initially, the band was full-members band centered around Wagner and Foo, and along the way it rooted as a duo, who would invite various musicians and vocalist to perform on specific releases.

Whip It On is an 8-track ep (originallly issued in Digipak and 10'' vinyl formats) with a running length just above 21 minutes resulting in quite short compositions all credited Wagner. A note on the cover cover stating: "Recorded in Glorious Bb-Minor" explicitly add detailed information about the music. For these recordings the duo made use of additional guitarist Manoj Ramdas and drummer Jakob Hoyer.

Stylewise, this debut represents a narrow combo of styles mostly originating from the late 1950s and early 1960s. It's basically a blend of garage rock, surf rock, and rockabilly - sometimes with a twist of 'modern' psychobilly, and with full attention on twang and reverb. Wagner already showed his interest for American old school rock music while playing in Psyched Up Janis - accentuated on the band's final studio album Enter the Super Peppermint Lounge (1998), and then with Tremolo Beer Gut, he commited fully on surf rock, rockabilly and psychobilly styles. In that regard, The Raveonettes comes out as a more harmony- and vocal-founded project, which focus both on compositional strength as well as presenting us with actual songs. This is actually, something you could say about their entire following production on the many albums that would follow this, and also despite taking on various stylistic detours on their way, but The Raveonettes always seem to carry a strong affection for quality of sound by implementing their output via... songs. The front cover is characteristically held in b/w with few coloured letters - again setting time and place to a period of the late 1950s and early 1960s - basically pre-Beatles era, which at the early stage of the band was mandatory. The album credits doesn't mention any producer, only that Sune Wagner recorded and wrote all tracks.

The album was met by some national attention and the band was right from scratch on both a critics' darling and a much treasured live cult act, i.e. not as such a mainstream hit but a band with evident potential.

Psyched Up Janis "Enter the Super Peppermint Lounge" (1998)

Enter the Super Peppermint Lounge
release date: Feb. 12, 1998
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,46]
producer: Craig Leon
label: EMI-Medley - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Special One" (live) - 3. "In the Sun" - 4. "Evil Beauty" - 5. "I Think You Suck" - 7. "Tonight When You Are Gone" - 8. "Picking Stars"

3rd and final studio album by Psyched Up Janis is like the two previous albums produced by Craig Leon. At this point the band had been reduced to a duo consisting of singer, guitarist and now also drummer & percussionist Sune Rose Wagner and bassist Jacob Jørgensen. The album was recorded with legendary studio musician Hal Blaine on drums - but on one track only.
The album is slower and more quiet compared to the two previous albums and it reveals a substantial change of style. All music is, as always, written exclusively by Sune Wagner, and the compositions show a final move away from grunge rock presenting itself as a more Phil Spector-inspired collection of songs with strong bonds to the '60s 'surf rock' tradition - listen e.g. to "Evil Beauty". Basically, this has more in common with the first albums by Raveonettes than the first two albums by Psyched Up Janis.
After this, the journey of school friends Jørgensen and Wagner came to its end. Another two final albums by the band were released in '99 to mark the end of the road for the band: Hi-Fi Low Life - a compilation of demo-recordings almost entirely performed by Sune Wagner and the acoustic live album The Quiet Album.
Psyched Up Janis disbanded in the Fall of '99, after which Wagner went on to form Tremolo Beer Gut with Jesper Reginald (aka Yebo, of the band Thau) - who handled drums on Beats Me (1997) and on The Quiet Album (1999) - with guitarist Jens Ole Lembcke (also from Thau) and together with Swedish bassist Per Sunding (from Swedish indie pop trio Eggstone). This quartet released three albums from 1999 to 2001, and then still of Dec. 2001, Wagner then formed a duo together with Danish bassist Sharin Foo initially named The Girl On Death Row - shortly after, this duo would become The Raveonettes for the their ep debut Whip It On (2002).

Psyched Up Janis "Beats Me" (1997)

Beats Me
release date: Feb. 1997
format: cd (RECD 8707)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Craig Leon
label: Replay Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 2. "Dying Flame" (4 / 5) - 3. "Airhead" - 4. "The Stars Are Out" - 5. "Waiting to Grab" - 7. "Hopefully" - 14. "Where the Lights Won't Shine" (4 / 5)

2nd studio album by Psyched Up Janis released on Danish label, Replay offers 16 new tracks and is like the debut produced by Craig Leon. After the artistic success of Swell the band moved to England and signed with This Way Up / Universal for a follow-up album and drummer Jakob Bjerregaard left the trio, and the band is here reduced to a functional duo of Sune Wagner and Jakob Jørgensen. As for the album recordings Jesper Reginald (aka Yebo, member of Danish band Thau) plays drums and percussion - he became official member after the album release for a short period of time.
The music is generally gloomier compared to the debut. Some tracks show Sune Wagner's fascination for 1960s surf rock, and other tracks seem more alt. rock-styled as of sheer raging energy, and in connects the band with Pixies and Sonic Youth. "Dying Flame", "Airhead", and "Waiting to Grab" are close to the best tracks on the debut, whereas track #1, "Lo-Fi Industry" is more industrial with hints to Marilyn Manson and / or Sonic Youth. "Somebody Loves Ya" and "Hopefully" are surf rock-inspired and together with the fine "Where the Lights Won't Shine" they all point more to Wagner's future albums with The Raveonnettes (which is also visually underlined in the album cover).
The album was met by national enthusiasm - especially from critics, but it wasn't the international step forward that the record company or the band had set out for and after this they returned to Denmark. In the fall of '97 Psyched Up Janis signed with EMI-Medley although they were now back to being the duo of Sune Wagner and bassist Jørgensen they started out as, and Wagner took over playing all other instruments. An ever-changing line-up - and / or difficulties in finding a steady drummer didn't make prospects easier, and Sune Wagner may not have made it easier for other members to contribute as he was THE composer and artistic source within the band.
From my perspective, this is almost on par with the splendid debut.

Psyched Up Janis "Swell" (1994)

Swell [debut]
release date: 1994
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,80]
producer: Craig Leon
label: Replay Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Vanity" (4 / 5) - 2. "I Died in My Teens" (5 / 5) - 3. "Shudder" (4 / 5) - 4. "Modest Us" (4 / 5) - 5. "Reddening Star" - 6. "Swirl Like You" - 7. "Chandelier" - 10. "New 5" - 11. "They"

Studio album debut by Danish grunge rock trio Psyched Up Janis (founded in Sønderborg '89) released on Replay and produced by American musician and producer Craig Leon. The band consists of lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Sune Rose Wagner, bassist Jakob Jørgensen, and drummer Martin Bjerregaard. Wagner and Jørgensen were old school friends playing in various bands before founding Psyched Up Janis. Initially, the drummer was Lars Meyer, but after relocating to Copenhagen, Bjerregaard became the band's stable drummer and the trio recorded this full-length debut.
The album was well-received by national critics but the release was unfortunately largely overshadowed by the debut albums by two other bands battling in being the most popular alt. rock band: Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and Kashmir, both of which, I consider minor to Psyched Up Janis, who simply did not take part in much of the promotional part of selling their music. However, Psyched Up Janis was simply my kind of a band, and their music was mistakenly unwelcomed by the public and the radio stations. Imo, this very album consists of tvelwe blazing compositions - of which nine are actual highlights. Swell is the band's masterpiece. They would go on to release another three studio albums before disbanding and none of these are poor or mediocre by any standards but they simply failed to attract much attention - again their musical trend simply appeared less competive when comparing to the aforementioned bands. Psyched Up Janis were unfortunate to stay true to a Seattle-wave, which they shared more traits with than what happened on the national scene. In this regard, I think Psyched Up Janis and especially its front-figure Sune Wagner had eyes and ears more tuned in on what took place on the other side of the Atlantic.
Swell is a Danish cornerstone and a recommended listen for anyone interested in 1990s grunge rock.