popwreckoning

The Raveonettes are a Danish duo, and Raven in the Grave is their fifth album. They play gothic garage-style rock characterized by close two-part harmonies. They sound like a lot like The Jesus and Mary Chain, if you need a reference.

The good stuff on this album comes quick. Track two “War in Heaven” is what The Birthday Party might sound like if you took Nick Cave off drugs, and somehow hooked the songs on heroin instead. It’s great chill out music, but the lyrics definitely call attention to themselves: “there’s a war in heaven/I hate when they forget to let people in.” It’s not a new subject by any means, recalling any number of classic literary works, but it works well. The song drifts past, occasionally interrupted by bursts of noise. It’s kind of fascinating.

Next is “Forget That You’re Young”, which is closer to a pure pop song. The instruments are played so seamlessly, it’s hard to distinguish what’s going on immediately. There’s an electric guitar playing in the background, keyboards, and what sounds like a drum machine. The vocals are compelling, and the whole thing has a strange sense of space.

If there’s anything difficult about this album, it’s that you’ll miss a lot if you aren’t paying attention. I like this album a lot, but about halfway through I usually find myself spacing out. The albums disregards it’s listener, and simply does what it wants to. The thing is, if you want to dig in there’s a lot here. It’s great for chilling out, but it’s also susceptible to closer attention. Highly recommended.

Track listing:
1. Recharge & Revolt
2. War In Heaven
3. Forget That You’re Young
4. Apparitions
5. Summer Moon
6. Let Me On Out
7. Ignite
8. Evil Seeds
9. My Times Up

The Vaccines, one of the most hotly tipped English bands for success in 2011, have released a new music video for their track, “If You Wanna.” They were described by the Guardian‘s Paul Lester as “like the Drums if they were more influenced by the Jesus and Mary Chain than the Smiths.”

“If You Wanna” will appear on the London band’s debut album, What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?, expected to drop in May on Columbia Records. If you’re interested in getting your hands on some Vaccines tuneage now, their 3-song eponymous EP is available in digital format, with a 10″ vinyl to be released on 7″ on March 15. And if you happen to be at South by Southwest this year, you can catch them there as well.

The Vaccines: website | myspace

Photo: Roger Sargent

On Tuesday, August 4th, music historian/author Richie Unterberger is hosting an event to discuss his new book, White Light/White Heat: The Velvet Underground Day-By-Day, from 7pm-9pm at Robin’s Books/Moonstone Arts Center at 110a S. 13th Street in Philadelphia (13th between Sansom and Drury/Chestnut). The presentation will include rare audiovisual material from throughout the Velvet Underground’s career  and signed copies of the book will be available for purchase. Admission is free.

The Velvet Underground, fiercely confrontational, literate, primitive, and heartbreakingly melodic, remain one of the most influential bands in the history of rock, inspiring everyone from David Bowie to The Jesus and Mary Chain. Surprisingly, the group was unsuccessful in its day, selling small numbers of records, largely because its monochrome look and photo-realist lyrics were at odds with the garish colors and peace fantasies of the hippie era. It was only when Bowie started to champion the band in the early ‘70s, after the group had split up, that the Velvet Underground’s reputation started to spread.

In White Light/White Heat, Unterberger analyzes the band’s career and influence in forensic detail, drawing on dozens of new interviews with band members and associates, previously undiscovered archive sources, and a vast knowledge of the music of the times. The result is an articulate, authoritative, immensely detailed history, the most thorough work on the band yet published.Unterberger is an acclaimed author and music historian, renowned for his meticulous research, so it should be no surprise that In White Light/White Heat is poised to become the quintessential Velvet Underground tome.

White Light/White Heat, now available on Jawbone Press, is by far the most comprehensive book on the Velvet Underground ever published. The 368-page volume details the group’s recording sessions, record releases, concerts, press reviews, and other major events shaping their career with both thorough detail and critical insight. Drawing on about 100 interviews and exhaustive research through documents and recordings rarely or never accessed, it unearths stories that have seldom been told, and eyewitness accounts that have seldom seen print, from figures ranging from band members to managers, producers, record executives, journalists, concert promoters, and fans.

White Light/White Heat also features more than 100 illustrations, including reproductions of rarely or never seen photos, concert posters, letters, and other assorted documents and memorabilia. It’s the ultimate history of the band that did more than any other to break down barriers between rock music and the avant-garde, incorporating electronic innovations, experimental instrumentation and improvisation, and lyrics detailing the realities of sex, drugs, and rock’n'roll with greater skill and daring than anyone else.

In addition to being a regular contributor to the All Music website, Mojo, Record Collector and many other publications, Unterberger has also written dozens of liner notes for CD reissues of classic 60s and 70s albums. His previous books include Unknown Legends of Rock’n'Roll, Eight Miles High and Turn! Turn! Turn!

No music fan should miss Unterberger’s appearance on Tuesday, August 4th from 7pm-9pm at Robin’s Books/Moonstone Arts Center in Philadelphia. It’s the best music event in the city that night until Gang Gang Dance takes stage at Kung Fu Necktie later that night, and it’s free! So no excuses!

Richie Unterberger: website | buy now