The Raven

1979, The Stranglers were a very different band than the one that had appeared on their first three albums. The Raven represented a huge jump in sound where the entire recording studio was used more fully, with vocals manipulated for grand effect when necessary and the group's instrumentation relying ever more on Dave Greenfield's keyboards. The piano-based "Don't Bring Harry," about the perils of heroin addiction, is particularly chilling. "Duchess" wiped away whatever punk-like aggression the band had for the joys of intricate harmonies and a melody that could crack open the sky. The Stranglers' political consciousness follows through on tracks such as "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)," "Shah Shah a Go Go," and "Genetix," while "Dead Loss Angeles" makes clear that no job with the golden city's Chamber of Commerce will be forthcoming. With its helium vocals, "Meninblack" portends the group's next album, The Gospel According to The Meninblack. Four bonus tracks that had been singles and b-sides are appended to finish off the sessions for the album, including the British hit "Bear Cage."