The Raveonettes are the Danish alternative rock duo of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo. They were first discovered after playing at the SPOT festival in Aarhus, Denmark in 2002, and were immediately offered representation by a number of major labels.
Best known for their shoegazing, surf-style, garage rock, the duo's music couples two-part harmonies with 50's and 60's inspired electric guitar. While their music is upbeat, their lyrics are deceptively dark. The Raveonettes have a knack for making their songs sound both dirty and sweet simultaneously.
The Raveonettes - A Brief Overview
The Raveonettes' influences come from the music of The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, The Jesus & Mary Chain and Sonic Youth. The band's name is actually a direct reference to Buddy Holly's song Rave On and was also inspired by the 60's female group, The Ronettes.
The talented duo both sing and play a variety of instruments in the band, with Foo on bass, guitar and vocals and Wagner on a number of instruments, as well as guitar and vocals. Other musicians that have contributed to The Raveonettes' music include jazz drummer Jakob Hoyer, guitarist Monoj Ramdas and Anders Christiensen on bass, percussion and organ.
The Raveonettes have also included guest artists from other bands in some of their music such as Maureen Tucker, the drummer from Velvet Underground; Martin Rev, the instrumentalist from the punk-era electronic band Suicide; and Ronnie Spector, lead singer for The Ronettes.
Discography of The Raveonettes
- Whip It On - The Raveonettes' debut EP Whip It On, won the title of "Best Rock Album of the Year" at the Danish Music Awards in 2003. It's a post-punk mix that was recorded completely in B-flat minor, and includes the songs Attack of the Ghost Riders and Do You Believe Her.
- Chain Gang of Love - The Raveonettes' first full length album,was released in 2003 by Sony Records. Similar to Whip It On, with most songs running under three minutes, Chain Gang of Love adds an element of noise pop on songs like "The Great Love Sound", "The Love Gang" and "The Truth About Johnny".
- Pretty in Black - The third full length album by The Raveonettes was released in 2005 by Columbia records. It included contributions from a number of artists who first influenced them, and a remake of The Angels hit song My Boyfriend's Back. Other notable songs on this album are the sexy, retro-style Love in a Trash Can and the alterna-pop inspired You Say You Lie.
- Lust, Lust, Lust - This album release by Fierce Panda/Vice in 2007, continues the retro, alterna-pop sound with You Want The Candy, and Dead Sound, a song which was also featured on the movie soundtrack to Whip It!. Other notable songs on this album are Aly, Walk With Me , a darker track with a classic shoegaze style, and the song Lust, which hauntingly captures the feeling of desire.
- In and Out of Control - This latest release by Fierce Panda/Vice in 2009, is a collection of bouncy songs about horrible things. Suicide, D.R.U.G.S., and Breaking Into Cars are all songs featured on this album. The most noteworthy songs on the album are the catchy alterna-pop inspired Bang! and Last Dance.
Other EP's released by The Raveonettes include The Raveonettes Remixed, Sometimes They Drop By, Beauty Dies and Wishing You a Rave Christmas. The Raveonettes capture the energy of a lot of good bands that came before them, and add an element of cleverness to their music by combining sugary beats with somber lyrics.
Minka Gantenbein - Minka Gantenbein is a freelance journalist from the beautiful Central Coast of California. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in ...
Join the Conversation