The Raveonettes

Despite several albums of steady creative progression, the Raveonettes never stray far from their original distortion-soaked, two-chord mission. Even 2005's relatively expansive Pretty in Black found the band hanging out in the same general neighborhood — somewhere between 1950s film noir and an early-'60s surf flick, and right next door to their '80s heroes, the Jesus & Mary Chain. So it's no surprise that Lust Lust Lust taps into that cinematic retro vein once again. Coming on like Denmark's answer to Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, guitarist Sune Rose Wagner and singer Sharin Foo exude old-school coolness, laying blankets of droning sound over Phil Spector-style drum thuds and singing about carnal desires without an ounce of passion. If there's a significant development on Lust Lust Lust, it's the Raveonettes' return to their grittier roots in prime cuts like "Dead Sound" and "You Want the Candy."