The Raveonettes - In And Out Of Control

Hot on the heels of fellow Danish rockers Mew's latest album (the one with the extremely long name), The Raveonettes have returned to follow up 2007's Lust Lust Lust. The shoegazey feel remains but the Copenhagen duo have swaggered towards a much poppier sound on their new record, In And Out Of Control.

Does it work? Yes. A resounding yes.

Much like the earlier Raveonettes albums, you can look at their latest effort from two perspectives. You can see it as a rich tapestry of musical influence, from Blondie to the Velvet Underground to Jesus and the Mary Chain. Or you could simply describe it as an extremely good rock-pop album.

The dark undercurrent remains from their earlier songs, but this time it's laced with a serious dose of cheeriness, jousting for attention amid the darkened lyrics. There's no small hint of dark humour in there too, 'Hit me please/strike again/sadistic girls, I don't get you' being a lyric from 'Break Up Girls!'

All in all, this album will satisfy hardened Raveonettes fans and, whether this was intended as a mainstream clincher or not, open them up to a much wider audience. As for the highlights, Bang!, Gone Forever, and Heart Of Stone are my personal favourites, but don't be surprised to see Last Dance appearing on the radio...

Download 'Last Dance' here for free!

In And Out Of Control hits stores on 6th October 2009.

London loves The Antlers at the Lexington

I've been an avid and intense follower of music since I was about 14. Many gigs have been played out infront of me in those 9 years, yet few can be described as life affirming or profoundly touching. Seeing the Foo Fighters play at Leeds Festival left a mark, Pixies playing in a tiny club venue in Prague was special, The Arcade Fire at Brixton proved to me that the music industry was worth getting into.

Thanks to a trio of Brooklyn-based musicians, I've had another 'moment'. I have been listening to Hospice (their debut album) quite regularly since I first heard it - and loved it. However, nothing really prepared me for how good they'd be live. It was only a 45 minute set (as the first band on) at The Lexington in Islington, but it felt much more poignant than that. Hospice was written about seeing a loved one die from cancer - the hope, the fear and the devastation bears itself openly in the beautifully crafted lyrics.

The hauntingly vivid vocals of Peter Silberman are often operatic while the keyboard provides a stunning ambiance to the whole event. By the end of 'Two', their final song, I was stood motionless in speechless silence.

This band could go anywhere. They harbour the passion of The Arcade Fire, the lyrics and heart of Bon Iver, and a strong sense of a Radiohead. I would pay to see these guys 365 days a year if I could. Epically beautiful.

Come back to London, Antlers!

The Dodos aren't extinct; I saw them at Bush Hall

Frenchkiss label-mates Passion Pit may be grabbing the headlines, but this trio of talented San Franciscans have garnered as much critical acclaim from their records as their trendier cousins. Their eponymous (official) debut, Visiter, is widely regarded as one of the best albums of 2008 by critics and helped them construct a healthy UK fan base. This was demonstrated by the sell out signs held up outside the door at London's Bush Hall venue.

The set was near-enough half Visiter, half Time To Die - their second and newly released album, brought forward due to one of those all too familiar torrent leaks. A raucous opening was characterised by tunes such as Paint The Rust, Joe's Waltz and This Is A Business and culminated with the superb Red & Purple. They are men of few words while on stage - although altogether more talkative with a beer in their hands backstage - yet manage to create an atmosphere of bonding with the crowd due to the nature of their music. A blend of joyful folk guitar and African (even Latino) influenced drumming leaves a near headache inducing cacophony that proves strangely gratifying. It shouldn't work - but it really, really does.

These are three contented musicians, perfectly comfortable with where they're heading and what they're doing. There are no delusions of grandeur - they're just making damn good music.