The Raveonettes continue to entice with their edgy, fuzzy, Scandinavian pop sound on In and Out of Control.
With their Scandinavian cool, sticky-thick mix of Phil Spector “wall of sound” and Jesus and Mary Chain squall, the Raveonettes were pretty much an instant buzz band upon appearing on U.S. soil. The duo’s fourth full-length, In and Out of Control, however, reminds us why they’re still around. Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo continue to live where the candy harmonies of countless ’60s girl groups coexist with the dirty children of the Velvet Underground. Nowhere is the dichotomy more striking than on “Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed),” which features an impossible syrupy chorus repeating the (certainly inarguable) title, a fuzzy backing like a rusty barrel under a torrential downpour, and a honey-dripping solo straight out of Twin Peaks. The whole album’s mood, in fact, is similar to a David Lynch version of the ’50s: clean and pretty, but with some truly bizarre dirt and darkness underneath.
