The Raveonettes, Denmark’s heaviest and freshest rock ‘n’ roll export, have a lot to be excited about. After releasing four albums of reverb-drenched, rockabilly-influenced music, the band is set to release their newest confection, “In and Out of Control,” on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
In the past, duo Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner have used creative restrictions to give clearer definition to their sound. All the songs on 2003’s “Chain Gang of Love” were in B minor, and 2008’s “Lust Lust Lust” contained no high hats or crash cymbals. The new album, however, contains drum machines, electronic sounds and absolutely no restrictions.
“It was a very spontaneous album,” frontwoman Wagner told The Eagle. “Everything was done in the studio as we went along. We didn’t have any finished songs before we went into the studio, so it was pretty crazy.”
This time around, the band was inspired more by deadlines than by creative restrictions.
“It was very different,” Wagner said of recording “In and Out of Control.” “We had very strict deadlines and we didn’t have any songs finished before we went into the studio, so it was a matter of, ‘Can we pull this off and be creative under these circumstances and make killer songs?’ In the end we managed but it was a close call. There were a lot of 15-hour work days.”
If the new material the band has released so far is any indication, the Raveonettes have more than simply “managed.” “Suicide” has to be the jolliest jam ever written about ending your own life. Twangy guitars, Everly Brothers-type dreamy vocals and delightfully fuzzy distortion abound to create a sound that is warm, full and new.
The Raveonettes have always skillfully blended overt influences like Buddy Holly and Jesus and the Mary Chain into their own sound to create something fresh and modern. This is especially evident in their latest record.
“It’s quite a forward album,” Wagner said. “It’s not retro in any way. It’s big and powerful and it’s really cool. It’s basic rock ‘n’ roll, but done in this huge production type of way.”
Wagner was open about the inspiration other bands have provided for the Raveonettes.
“We always try to move ahead,” he said. “It’s very easy to do a retro-sounding album, and a lot of bands are satisfied with that. We want to have those influences but incorporate them into modern day society, so to speak.”
One of the particular influences on “Breaking Into Cars” was Wu Tang Clan’s “Bring the Ruckus,” a strange move from a band whose name is a combination of the Ronettes and the Buddy Holly song “Rave On.” Wagner said that, in particular, he was inspired by the snare sounds on the RZA produced track.
“We don’t want to copy him completely,” Wagner said. “But he had so many good ideas for sounds on the ‘36 Chambers’ album, and he’s a huge influence on me as a producer, so I thought I’d give a little nod in his direction.”
The band kicks off a nation-wide tour on Oct. 14, and hits D.C. at the 9:30 club on Friday, Oct. 16. “In and Out of Control” is set to be released on Oct. 6 on Vice Records.
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
