Armed with the heavy fuzz of reverb guitar and vocal harmonies
reminiscent of early ’60s acts, The Raveonettes are forcing a
new sound out of the roots of American rock ‘n’ roll. A
boy/girl rock ‘n’ roll duo straight from the capital of
Denmark, The Raveonettes have an unexpected passion for the
feel-good tunes written almost half a century ago.
“We get inspiration from the classical stuff like Buddy
Holly, The Shirelles, and all the girl groups from the early
’60s. Like The Ronettes, all the “˜ettes’,
you can even hear it in our name The Raveonettes. And then the
whole vocal thing is very inspired by the Everly Brothers,”
said Sharin Foo, singer/bassist and female half of the
duo.Â
However, a quick listen to the group’s mini album
“Whip It On” proves The Raveonettes aren’t
interested in merely replicating the love themed ballads of their
cited heroes. With the driving six string melodies of
guitarist/vocalist Sune Rose Wagner and the drum machine grooves
that sound like all hell breaking loose on the insides of a metal
trash can, “Whip It On” surely demonstrates that The
Raveonettes’ inspirations aren’t completely
innocent. With other influences such as Suicide, The Cramps,
The Velvet Underground, and The Jesus and Mary Chain, “Whip
It On” is a crafty synthesis of music with vastly different
sounds.Â
“It’s about taking the good things from the past and
blending it with something new,” Foo said. “If you
only try to reproduce the past then why not just listen to the
past? We strive to have the modern sound with that whole kind of
retro sound, and then hopefully something new comes along the
way.”Â
Wagner, who writes all the songs for the band, was also in
complete charge of recording and mixing the album. He decided with
Foo to work within a curious set of rules: All the songs would be
recorded in the key of B flat minor, no more than three chords
would be allowed, all songs had to be under three minutes, and no
high hats or cymbals could be used.Â
“It kind of came about where it was more of a reaction
against the music of the time,” Foo said. “Sune
wrote all the songs in the 1990s when he was in the States, and I
guess he was just getting tired of music being too produced and too
pretentious. He just wanted to go back to the basics and make
it really simple again. He thought if you do all the songs in the
same key, it can’t really get any more simple than
that.”
What began as a means to keep it simple is now becoming a
pattern. Forbidding themselves from using a high hat, one of the
very pillars of rock ‘n’ roll, forced The Raveonettes
to innovate in a way that created a sound that stands unique
against the blare of MTV grunge rock. So why not continue a good
thing? Their forthcoming album, “Chain Gang of
Love,” expected out late this summer, aims to follow a
similar set of rules, but this time the songs are all in the key of
B flat major.Â
“I think people will find it easier to access even though
I find “˜Whip It On’ like a party album,” Foo
said. People will find this new album even more upbeat and
happy.”
Legendary Richard Gottehrer, known for his work with Blondie,
and the Go-Go’s among many others, produced “Chain Gang
of Love.” Foo was excited at the prospect of working with the
man behind classic oldies like “I Want Candy” and
“My Boyfriend’s Back.”Â
“His attitude from the very beginning was not to mess with
the basics of The Raveonettes,” Foo said. “He just
added a little extra touch. He’s so excited about
things; he’s like a little kid in a toy store. That was good
for us. We’re like typical Scandinavians, really
introverted.”Â
Although they were initially negatively received in their native
country, The Raveonettes have been pushing their way into the
spotlight with their current North American Tour. With growing
audiences, a U.S. deal with Columbia Records, and consistent
chatter among the magazines about this Danish duo, they might just
be this year’s breakthrough band.
However, when asked if the band is hoping to achieve mainstream
status, Foo had to pause before responding.
“We really don’t consider that,” she
said. “Whether we’ll be mainstream or an indie
band is really up to the audience. As long as we can do it we
don’t really care if we play stadiums or small
clubs.”Â
The Raveonettes perform at the Troubadour tonight.