a trinity of sorts

This will be edited for more details by the 22 of June

The way junkies crave that sweet brown sugar and build a nest in it; that is how I am coming to love the Raveonettes. One cannot be this into a band without seeing some fairly obvious connections. Here goes...

Listen to Chain Gang of Love. Consider the structure, the sound and the words in their style. There is such an intensely resonant evocation of Jesus and Mary Chain there that birds would fly north early to hear it. Raw coal would hasten its hardening just to shine back at this album. Yet, there is something extra to the sound that prevents it from being a mere rip-off of JMC. There is an edge of southern chic, reminiscent of Tarantino, that also shows up much stronger on the album Pretty In Black. There is more force to the words, by way of example JMC made good metaphors for sex where the Raveonettes say "fuck."

So they are there own band, but the obvious, yea blatant roots are clear and inarguable. I love JMC. I've loved them since I first heard them in ninth grade when I bought an e.p. with Upside Down (one of the songs laying the basis for "Let's Rave On" from Chain Gang). This is a band that was as far reaching in influence as the American notion of democratizing smaller nations. Yup, it spanned the freakin' world!

Without ranting too far about JMC's music, I will quickly touch on Their influences. Yes, they covered old blues material and that was the lyrical side. The actual music in many instances carried a clear tip of the hat to the elder gods of cool, the Velvet Underground. Now if you don't recognize the V.U. as one of the true all time great and influential bands of rock'n'roll, that's your business. I suppose to an extent it's a matter of personal taste, but give the devil his due...

So thinking of this connection, I pay closer attention. I can't help but feel that the song Dirty Eyes (Sex Don't Sell) from Chain Gang, has a powerful feeling of V.U. directly. It reminds me (personally) of Stephanie Says from the Velvets. Okay, I could be wrong, but there are a few places that Chain Gang takes me that make me think Warhol got his musician friends to visit Denmark.

A little more digging was in order and - ahhh, there it is! Who appears as a guest on some of the tracks done by the Raveonettes? Maureen Tucker! That's right, children, one of the original Velvets. Yup. I am happy. These little connections make life and music so satisfying. A tie to the past, with a readiness for the future.

If you haven't heard these three bands, I suggest these albums: V.U. and Nico, V.U. Velvet Underground - both by, you guessed it! Velvet Underground. Darklands, Barbed Wire Kisses, Munki and Honey's Dead - all by the Jesus and Mary Chain. Chain Gang of Love and Pretty In Black by the Raveonettes.