50under50

Lose yourself in the beautiful pop hooks and electric noise of Danish alt-rock duo, the Raveonettes’ latest album, In & Out of Control! Sharin Foo’s pixie-ish vocals declare “kids wanna bop, out in the street / fa-fa-fun all summer long” as the power chords reach sugar overload. Of course, the palpable sense of excitement and happiness is obvious from the beginning, as “Bang” is perhaps the Raveonettes most refined, direct stab at blissfully optimistic pop ever. It’s absurdly catchy and the feelings of joy it sends out are practically impossible to ignore, vibes that set the tone for the record to follow.

I was first turned onto the Raveonettes through the Gap/Sound of Color project and was instantly converted when I heard “Black & White“. Now, a year later, with the release of “Heart of Stone“, fans of their sound will not be disappointed. Buy it today.

The Raveonettes are Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner, a Danish duo who, bound by a mutual disenchantment with the state of the musical art of their homeland, have begun to build a brand-new rock ‘n’ roll sound for the rest of the world.

Sune, the guitar-slinging singing and songwriting brainchild behind the Raveonettes, has been known to wear a “Back To Mono” button on his pullover sweater, giving props to Phil Spector, architect of rock’s original “wall of sound.” Whip It On, the inaugural release from “Denmark’s hot gift to the New Garage,” was recorded in “Explosive Stereo (Mono Compatible)” and unleashes its own glorious “wall of sound” for a new generation.

The Raveonettes sound is, according to Sune, “a tribute to a lot of the great music,” that has come before them: “…the primal single beat of the Cramps, the noisiness and dark feeling of the 80s, the Jesus & Mary Chain, the girl groups of the 60s, the drone thing of Suicide….”

“The vocals,” adds Sharin, “are very Everly Brothers. What’s interesting are the dynamics of being a two-piece and the way we sing together in these subtle boy-girl vocals. We work very closely. Sune writes the songs but that’s it. We do everything else together. We produce together, we choose the songs together and we work on the vocals together.”

Coming to New York in July 2002, the Raveonettes booked themselves into the punk Mecca CBGB’s, where they debuted three new songs they’d just finished recording with the legendary producer Richard Gottehrer, who’s helmed classic recordings like “My Boyfriend’s Back,” “I Want Candy,” albums by Blondie, the Go-Go’s, Marshall Crenshaw, and many more. “When I first heard the Raveonettes, it took me back to the great days of the punk revolution of New York City,” exclaimed Gottehrer, who’s currently working on the first full-length Raveonettes album. “The energy and excitement of that time is captured in their music with all the added power of today’s sound. This is a great record and this band is going to be huge.”

Buy In & Out of Control from Amazon $13

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