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a r t i s t :: The Raveonettes
t i t l e :: Pe'ahi
d a t e :: 2014-00-00
l a b e l :: Beat Dies Records
g e n r e :: Indie
s o u r c e :: CD
b i t r a t e :: 1021kbps avg
e n c o d e r :: FLAC 1.2.1 -8 -V
t r a c k s :: 10
p l a y t i m e :: 36:12
s i z e :: 266.4MB
tracklist
1 Endless Sleeper 2:54
2 Sisters 3:45
3 Killer In The Streets 3:59
4 Wake Me Up 2:40
5 Z-Boys 4:42
6 A Hell Below 3:26
7 The Rains Of May 3:47
8 Kill! 3:31
9 When Night Is Almost Done 3:22
10 Summer Ends 4:06
releasenotes
A decade on, itÆs safe to conclude that the quality of the RaveonettesÆ albums
depends on a unifying concept. The pair of records that kicked off their
career, the Whip It On! EP and Chain Gang of Love, were lurid, cinematic, and
written entirely in single keys; career highlight Lust Lust Lust was a raw,
roaring response to the bandÆs play for wider recognition, a failed gambit
built around their second album Pretty in Black. These albums werenÆt major
stylistic departures or markedly more ambitious than the rest of their work,
but they succeeded because they pitted the RaveonettesÆ basic
propositionùsimple pop songs and sweet melodies, coated in layers of malicious
fuzz and laden with comically dark lyricsùagainst clearly defined rules and
boundaries. Conditioned with even the most trite gimmick, Sune Rose WagnerÆs
compositions have a better chance of acquiring staying power; left to stand on
their own, they mostly achieve a pleasure thatÆs pleasant but fleeting. With
their seventh full-length, PeÆahi, the band attempts to steer clear of the
latter problem by shifting their sound markedly.
PeÆahi doesnÆt sound much like any of the RaveonettesÆ other records, and
thatÆs largely because they've added greatly to the instrumentation and
effects. Where once Wagner and partner Sharin Foo were content to let their
vocals and simple guitar chord patterns bear their songsÆ melodic weight, they
now employ harps, choirs, xylophones, and electronics; basic drum machine
pulses are eschewed in favor of more complex, swinging breakbeats. These songs
are different on a structural level, too, as Wagner leaves traditional
verse-chorus-verse behind several times throughout the album, opting instead
for multi-part mini-suites. TheyÆre dense enough to honor the albumÆs
namesake, a legendary Maui surf break, but still navigable; Justin
Meldal-Johnsen, the veteran producer and multi-instrumentalist who mans the
albumÆs boards, helps keep PeÆahi clean despite all the layering and misshapen
sound. Making sure to use every tool in their box, the band plays with
dynamics to amplify choruses and hooks, a choice that yields the albumÆs
finest moments; when ôSistersö explodes from a pristine harp pattern into a
noisy wall of wild-eyed riffage, it provides a visceral thrill that lasts,
even with repeated listening.
The greater range of tones and textures is coupled with lyrical material that
skews uncomfortably personal. PeÆahi was written and recorded in the wake of
WagnerÆs fatherÆs unexpected death last Christmas Eve, and he spends much of
the album grappling with the complicated realities of that paternal
relationship. ôKill!ö is the most obvious exampleùthereÆs really no denying
the significance of a line like ôOne time I saw my dad fuck a redhead whore/ I
never ever thought I wouldöùbut even when Wagner isnÆt explicitly discussing
his fatherÆs indiscretions, heÆs thinking about the impact that behavior
mightÆve had on his own patterns of infidelity. The few tracks on the album
that deviate from this theme arenÆt beacons of light and joy, either; opener
ôEndless Sleeperö, studded with guttural yelps and propelled by a shifting
breakbeat, recounts a near-death experience Wagner had while surfing in Hawaii
half a decade ago. The Raveonettes are no stranger to bleak, almost decadent
darknessùtheyÆve always used sex, drugs, and violence as propulsive devices,
and one of their greatest songs is a jangling, ascending ditty called ôBoys
Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)öùbut the level of detail and consistency of
PeÆahiÆs assault renders the album oppressive.
The large evolutionary leap the Raveonettes have made on PeÆahi raises an
important question: does stepping away from sonic simplicity compromise the
core of the bandÆs appeal? Though the bandÆs work has scattered along a narrow
spectrum in the decade since they began their career, that kind of reliability
holds value for both longtime listeners and casual fans. TheyÆve also come to
serve as an effective ôgateway bandö for younger listeners who havenÆt yet
encountered the bandÆs considerable influences, funneling those nascent music
fans towards the Jesus and Mary Chain and the meticulous, distinctive pop
craftsmanship of Phil Spector. The diversity of sound the band rolls out on
PeÆahi is certainly refreshing, but it takes a chunk out of the foundation of
their career.
www.theraveonettes.com
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