I don't care what other reviewers have said about "Chain Gang of Love". The first full-length album by The Raveonettes rocks. I was at Borders this morning and I was curious to hear this cd. So I listened to a few tracks on one of the listening stations at Borders. Man! I was hooked right from the word go! Normally I am not into this so-called movement of the "The" bands (i.e The Strokes, The Hives, The Vines, etc...etc...) but this is different. Unlike the aforementioned bands, The Raveonettes manage to incorporate some infectious hooks into their music. I am not big on the whole distorted, fuzzed guitar sound but I thought it really works with The Raveonettes. The second I heard "Remember" my jaw literally dropped. When I listened to a sample of "The Great Love Sound", I was hooked. "Noisy Summer" made me want to buy the cd. Normally my musical tastes leans more towards the darker side lyrically and musically but I thought "Chain Gang of Love" was a half hour bliss of pure joy. It has a very retro sound, very Link Wray-ish, Buddy Holly-ish sound. After listening to "Chain Gang of Love", I am officially now a fan of The Raveonettes. They definitely are one of the best rock bands I have heard in a long time.

For a band like the Raveonettes, the second record is crucial. Their first release, Whip It On (a must-have, by the way), was thickly coated in buzz and hype, and the band's self-imposed rules for recording it (three minutes and three chords per song, no high hat, and all songs to be written in B-flat minor) were much publicized. The challenge for the Raveos with Chain Gang of Love, then, is knowing how much to change. Change too much, and you lose what people have come to think of as your "sound." Change too little, and it's a rehash.

I'm happy to report that Sune and Sharin have nailed it; no sophomore slump here. The duo mostly retained their restrictions for this effort--you're not likely to hear more than four chords in a song, and few of them break the three-minute mark. The most noticeable difference is the switch from B-flat minor to B-flat major. Where Whip It On was a dark, driving meditation on beat mythology, Chain Gang explores the soda-pop musical conventions of the 1950s with relentless delight. The result is both greater musical complexity (the major key allows Sune and Sharin's vocal harmonies to broaden) and increased thematic subtlety (the tunes are bubbly but still menacing, thanks to healthy doses of the Raveos' signature mechanical noise and Sune's beat-youth lyrics).

Listeners who thought Whip It On was too much like one long song will be somewhat appeased by Chain Gang; it's still one key, but the songs differ from each other much more in terms of tempo and instrumentation than did the songs on Whip It On. There's even a song in triple meter ("The Truth About Johnny").

As with Whip It On (and just about any rock that's worth listening to nowadays), it's on your second listen that you'll really start to dig Chain Gang of Love. But once you do, it'll stick with you; you'll find yourself singing "know my heart's black cause I gotta go" all day long.

What makes the Raveonettes so special, even in the context of all the other great new bands emerging recently, is their unique vision. There are plenty of rock bands drawing inspiration from the blues (the White Stripes, the Kills, the Von Bondies, etc.) and the 1980s (Interpol, the Sounds, even the Dandy Warhols on their latest album), and they're all killer bands. But the Raveos' 21st-century riff on Buddy Holly, Jack Kerouac, motorcycle gangs and girl groups, is really unusual and delicious...Chain Gang of Love is definitely worth your time and money. Highly recommended.

The Raveonettes are an icon of sorts. While there are other bands out there with this sound, The Raveonettes will always be one of a kind.

With The Chain Gang Of Love, we are treated to some very laid back yet poppy music. Under strict and odd rules, this entire album is in the key of B flat. Why? Psh, I have no idea! When you add this little strange fact, the limited diversity in the drums (the drumming is very primitive on this album), and a sense of bubble-gum pop and a trippy and equally catchy feeling to every song, you're going to end up with a CD that "sounds the same" throughout most of it's tracks. Is that a bad thing? I can be -- just not in this case. The Raveonettes have come up with a formula here that has supported their career from the start and probably will continue until they retire. And this forumla is worth hearing in these 13 songs, even if they are similar. Because good music never gets old!

As for these particular songs...well, they're just plain wonderful! The guitar parts consist mostly of jangly, open-chords ringing out with a fuzz effect that tickles your ears like a good foamy root beer would tickle your lips. The bass also takes on a bit of a fuzzy approach, although remaining sweet and melodically adaptive to the rest of the instruments. The drums, as I mentioned before, are extremely simplified, yet deliver the beats necessary to bring home these pop tunes of greatness. But the greatness doesn't stop there! The vocal work is undeniably the best part of the music. A male and female sing most of the lyrics together with amazing harmony. They take on an almost lullaby feel with their sweet'n'soft vocalizing. I believe there is also a keyboardist of some type (or possibly just some computer editing) that adds in some strange yet pleasant noises to accompany this array of musical goodness.

And I must not forget the other attracting point to this CD -- it's one hell of a soundtrack to get high to (if you're into that sort of thing). Still, even if you don't use substances to enhance your experience, The Chain Gang Of Love should be enough by itself to trip you out and bring your soul into a place of musical bliss. If you're into the softer side of rock, then this is a must-buy.

I don't see how anyone can think this is not cool. The marriage of fuzzed up dissonance and blissed out pop harmonies really works here. It's hard not to invoke the mighty VU but that's perfectly okay to do too. That was the whole point of the VU, remember? Like so many other European and Japanese bands of late, the Raveonettes have really latched on to the raggedy, DIY Garage spirit that made rock & roll so much fun in the first place. Who cares how many chords they play as long as their music is infused with so much infectious energy and sloppy enthusiasm? Quit analzying everything and just rock out!

I bought Whip It On the day it came out and LOVED it. Then, i bought this one and loved it too. If you like grungy, distorted rock with sweet melodic voices, this CD is definitely for you.

This is whiplash rock n' roll baby.