Is there any less glamorous vehicle for a song than the b-side compilation? The somewhat negative connotations that will almost always accompany a phrase like ‘b-side’ are unfortunate. It may take a lot of digging through a lot of less than great moments, but every once in a while a b-side catches your ear and it’s love at first listen. Danish duo The Raveonettes do their best to avoid this mediocrity, mixing in some real gems with a bunch of material that was left by the wayside for good reason.
Built from the remnants of their first releases Rarities/B-Sides drifts through the
squelching guitar lines and 50’s/60’s pop sensibilities that have made The
Raveonettes fairly successful over the past decade or so. The collection moves in chronological order from
their first EP, Whip It On, ending
with the leftovers from 2007’s Lust Lust
Lust.
Opening track "Signal’s Changed" actually pre-dates the
formation of the band, it might be somewhat rudimentary, relatively speaking,
but the distortion filled doo-wop is ramshackle and proud of it. Other heavy hitters include "Go Girl Go" and
it’s sinister riff, the straight up pop of "I Wanna Be Taken", the rugged flow
of "Where Hearts are Dead" and "The Christmas Song", a tune which has appeared
in TV commercials and movies alike before making it’s first appearance on a
Raveonettes release here.
The collection spans some 26 songs and more than 60 minutes,
but for the most part those 60+ minutes pass by without much to comment
on. Much of the material included from
the Pretty in Black and Lust Lust Lust sessions is a toothless
brand of pop that should be avoided, whereas the rougher edges of the band’s
earlier material seems to provide the real punch here.
With a limited run of only 500 CD’s and 500 LP’s Rarities/B-Sides will serve as a nice
stopgap for fans lucky enough to get their hands on it. It won’t make any year end lists, but it will
provide a few winning moments and a reason to re-visit one of the more
underrated boy-girl indie rock duos around.
Grade: C
~Steve Dobek
I've been dissapointed with the bands last few albums. It seems that they've gone in a much darker direction, and left their pop sensibilities behind. Whip it On, Chain Gang.. and Pretty in Black are classics in my opinion. I wish they could return to what they were....
If you are dissapointed listen the them in a mix - maybe they sound better here http://soundcloud.com/atlanticam/teux-deux
Best Atlantic AM