Release date: July 22, 2014
Label: Beat Dies Records, Inc./The Orchard
Parental Advisory: Yes
The Raveonettes' new album Pe'ahi takes its name from a notorious beach on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Though it is frequently acknowledged as a prime surfing beach, the area transforms into a dangerous part of the island during the off-season. The beach and surrounding area is often overrun by violent drug addicts and there have been several murders in the area over the past few years. The name fits this album to a tee. The music can sound beautiful and inviting, but looking closer, you can see the remnants of danger and risk bubbling beneath the surface of a seemingly idyllic paradise
.
The Danish noise-pop duo of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo are nothing if not consistent, having released a full length album about every other year since 2002, as well as a few EPs, compilations, and orphaned songs sprinkled in-between. One might think that with such a regular output of releases, The Raveonettes' main songwriter, producer and musician, Sune Rose Wagner, might have run out of new ways to twist the band's Jesus and Mary Chain influenced instrumentals and Everly Brother inspired vocal harmonies. Not the case with Pe'ahi however, as their newest effort just shows further refinement in their established sound with excellent songwriting.
Pe'ahi features some of the more varied sounds of The Raveonettes' work to date, incorporating breakbeats for the rhythm section on many songs. This is in stark contrast to many of their more recent albums, especially 2012′s Observator, which had very minimalist drum parts, if any at all. Sonically, Pe'ahi lifts some of the veil of noise that permeates most of their other albums, but make no mistake, there's still liberal use of reverb, feedback, and bit-crushing, but it feels like it has been dialed back a little bit to make room for some of the other new sounds showcased on the album. These sampled sounds include harp, choir, and shouts. Bass guitar is also more prominently featured in some songs, including one of the best tracks on the album, "Killer in the Streets." The song features a driving backbeat and bassline with a great guitar melody and exceptionally strong harmonized vocals. Other stand out tracks include the first single released from the album "Sisters," as well as "Kill!," "A Hell Below," and "Z-Boys," the latter of which features an ethereal guitar melody as well as a sort of false ending that fades into soft noise with a new guitar melody, which then blasts into a short instrumental finish to the track.
Lyrically, not much has changed in Wagner's writing style. The songs are still mostly quite dark and personal in nature, with such songs as "Kill!" being about the sudden death of his alcoholic father on Christmas. Overall, you could consider most of the songs on Pe'ahi to be pretty sparse, lyrically. This is especially true on slower songs like "Sisters" with most lines being repeated and spaced out between lush instrumentals. However, The Raveonettes have never placed a premium on words by themselves. The impact of their music has always been with the mix of lyrics and music. The band often creates soundscapes to set the mood and the lyrics sit in the mix to help augment the tone of the track. Very often, they use more upbeat tracks and with melancholy lyrics to create a dichotomous air around a song, and they put this idea to good use in songs like "When Night Is Almost Done" and "Summer Ends."
If you're in the mood for some hard-edged noise-pop with some personal lyrics, it's hard to go wrong with Pe'ahi from The Raveonettes. There's a lot to enjoy on this album for new and old Raveonettes fans, as well as anyone with noise and indie leaning listening tendencies. Highly recommended for fans of The Jesus and Mary Chain, Dum Dum Girls, The Kills, and The Black Angels. Available on CD or vinyl from your local Slackers CD's and Games.
Label: Beat Dies Records, Inc./The Orchard
Parental Advisory: Yes
The Raveonettes' new album Pe'ahi takes its name from a notorious beach on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Though it is frequently acknowledged as a prime surfing beach, the area transforms into a dangerous part of the island during the off-season. The beach and surrounding area is often overrun by violent drug addicts and there have been several murders in the area over the past few years. The name fits this album to a tee. The music can sound beautiful and inviting, but looking closer, you can see the remnants of danger and risk bubbling beneath the surface of a seemingly idyllic paradise
.
The Danish noise-pop duo of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo are nothing if not consistent, having released a full length album about every other year since 2002, as well as a few EPs, compilations, and orphaned songs sprinkled in-between. One might think that with such a regular output of releases, The Raveonettes' main songwriter, producer and musician, Sune Rose Wagner, might have run out of new ways to twist the band's Jesus and Mary Chain influenced instrumentals and Everly Brother inspired vocal harmonies. Not the case with Pe'ahi however, as their newest effort just shows further refinement in their established sound with excellent songwriting.
Pe'ahi features some of the more varied sounds of The Raveonettes' work to date, incorporating breakbeats for the rhythm section on many songs. This is in stark contrast to many of their more recent albums, especially 2012′s Observator, which had very minimalist drum parts, if any at all. Sonically, Pe'ahi lifts some of the veil of noise that permeates most of their other albums, but make no mistake, there's still liberal use of reverb, feedback, and bit-crushing, but it feels like it has been dialed back a little bit to make room for some of the other new sounds showcased on the album. These sampled sounds include harp, choir, and shouts. Bass guitar is also more prominently featured in some songs, including one of the best tracks on the album, "Killer in the Streets." The song features a driving backbeat and bassline with a great guitar melody and exceptionally strong harmonized vocals. Other stand out tracks include the first single released from the album "Sisters," as well as "Kill!," "A Hell Below," and "Z-Boys," the latter of which features an ethereal guitar melody as well as a sort of false ending that fades into soft noise with a new guitar melody, which then blasts into a short instrumental finish to the track.
Lyrically, not much has changed in Wagner's writing style. The songs are still mostly quite dark and personal in nature, with such songs as "Kill!" being about the sudden death of his alcoholic father on Christmas. Overall, you could consider most of the songs on Pe'ahi to be pretty sparse, lyrically. This is especially true on slower songs like "Sisters" with most lines being repeated and spaced out between lush instrumentals. However, The Raveonettes have never placed a premium on words by themselves. The impact of their music has always been with the mix of lyrics and music. The band often creates soundscapes to set the mood and the lyrics sit in the mix to help augment the tone of the track. Very often, they use more upbeat tracks and with melancholy lyrics to create a dichotomous air around a song, and they put this idea to good use in songs like "When Night Is Almost Done" and "Summer Ends."
If you're in the mood for some hard-edged noise-pop with some personal lyrics, it's hard to go wrong with Pe'ahi from The Raveonettes. There's a lot to enjoy on this album for new and old Raveonettes fans, as well as anyone with noise and indie leaning listening tendencies. Highly recommended for fans of The Jesus and Mary Chain, Dum Dum Girls, The Kills, and The Black Angels. Available on CD or vinyl from your local Slackers CD's and Games.
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