Artists Condensed: The Raveonettes

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Submitted by msarko on 6/18/09 9:15pm
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One of my first articles here on the Pop Music Club blog was an artist profile on The Raveonettes. The band is currently in their Copenhagen studio finishing up their next album, so I thought this would be a good time to condense their work thus far. They're an interesting band, if only for their strangely synergistic influences. Take doo-wop, 50's rock and some early desert country, then mix it with noise and a little modern electronica, and that's The Raveonettes.

When I first listened to the band's debut EP Whip It On I didn't imagine they'd last or even develop much. Honestly, I still think their early work is fairly limited and I maintain that the "classic rock meets noise" conceit didn't really evolve past being a gimmick until Pretty In Black. The Raveonettes have consistently surprised me in the past couple of years, though. Lust Lust Lust, their most recent album, is definitely their most dynamic and fully-formed. Also, if Sune Rose Wagner's self-titled solo album from 2008 is any indication, The Raveonettes are just starting to hit their peak.

Whip It On came out in 2002, charting just high enough to be noticeable. In its way, the EP is more accessible and artistically clear than the full album that followed. Whip It On is at once exciting and aloof, just clever enough to not be brutish while still rocking very, very hard.

2003 saw the release of Chain Gang of Love, which might be a concept album stripped down to its bare bones. It runs a series of motifs, like criminal romance a la Bonnie and Clyde, and tearing down the road in something loud and fast (besides a Raveonettes song). The band is Danish, but they definitely have a love affair with classic Americana. If there's one bit of American culture that has an exotic allure outside the US, it's our highway culture.

  • The Truth About Johnny
  • Seductress of Bums (no link, sorry)

2005's Pretty In Black saw The Raveonettes fully embracing the 50's doo-wop their previous recordings always inferred. As a result, they brought their vocals to the front and toned down the feedback, occasionally even slowing down their otherwise frenetic pace. It was certainly high time for a transition and Pretty In Black is nothing if not a transition album

This rolling desert song has some of the only acoustic sounds in The Raveonettes' entire catalog. It also crosses the line from bleak to introspective, which is novel enough for a single track.

The Raveonettes have always been completely open about their influences, so it's actually pretty nice that they got the legendary Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes to supply guest vocals on this track. If nothing else, it proves that those classic singing styles can be updated.

  • Hallucinations
  • Lust

Lust Lust Lust isn't a perfect album by any means, but it's definitely The Ravenonette's strongest to date. The instrumentation sounds so controlled and sharp, and the two-part vocals finally sound balanced enough to be complementary.

All the songs on Sune Rose Wagner's solo album are in his native Danish, not that lyrical clarity was ever a strong component of The Raveonettes English-language music. His solo work sounds different enough from his recordings with Sharin Foo, but there's no mistaking Wagner's style. It's a strong album for a digital solo project and he hopefully integrates the developments from his side work into The Raveonette's upcoming, as yet untitled LP.

 

The Raveonettes are one of those bands that broke into the music scene with something unique and catchy, at least in an alternative sort of way. As such, they need to experiment with some new sounds if they want to stay relevent. They certainly have the talent and the ear for diverse influences to get there, but we'll have to wait for their new release to see if they have progressed or stalled.