The small Scandinavian nation of Denmark has given the world so much. Hans Christian Andersen. Fine mid-century teak furniture. The eponymous pastry. And lest we forget, 10 years ago Denmark gave us scuzzy throwback duo The Raveonettes. Ten years, can you believe it? Over the course of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharon Foo’s rockin’ decade together, the noise-lovin’ Danes have traversed a great musical land, covering ground from fuzzed-out distortion and lyrics dealing with lust, death, and other great topics from the underbelly of 1950s/1960s/surely not nooooooooow America to yearning doo wop-style harmonies and guest spots from Suicide’s Martin Rev and The Ronette’s Ronnie Specter. And now The Raveonettes are about to cross an even greater musical frontier: namely, the divide between bands that use pianos in their songs and bands that don’t. That’s right — there’s a piano in the mix on the band’s upcoming full-length, Observator, and take it from me, sonny, in typical Raveonettes fashion, she ain’t a happy piany.
So what inspired the band’s new direction? According to Wagner, he and Foo were compelled by the siren call of Los Angeles. After throwing out his back and generally feeling like s%^&, Wagner decided it was time to go West, to find the California of easy livin’ and The Doors. But instead, he says, “What I found however was quite the opposite. I found dread and despair in LA, a wicked loneliness that only furthered my intake of substances. I couldn’t focus and inspiration was fleeting or mostly absent.” (Apparently Wagner did not watch Mulholland Drive before packing up the U-Haul.) Instead of creating a super dirty Beach Boys album or whatever the band’s intention was, Wagner decided to just dive into the stories of the people he met in both California and New York, where the band is based, and start writing. Observator is the result of those songs. The album was recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in L.A. with Richard Gottehrer, who also worked on the band’s Pretty in Black. (Dude’s also a legend from having worked with Blondie, The Go-Gos, and Richard Hell.) Observator will bum you out — piano style! — when it’s released via Vice on September 11. Until then, The Raveonettes have a few shows in Chicago this month. Once the album is out, the band plans on rockin’ a full-scale US (with a brief dip into Canada) tour.
Dates:
09.21.12 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
09.22.12 - Seattle, WA- Neumo’s
09.23.12 - Vancouver, BC - Venue
09.26.12 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
09.27.12 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
09.28.12 - St. Louis, MO - The Firebird
09.29.12 - Columbus, OH - A&R Bar
09.30.12 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
10.02.12 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
10.05.12 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
10.06.12 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
10.07.12 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
10.08.12 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
10.11.12 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
10.12.12 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo’s 365 Club
• The Raveonettes: http://www.theraveonettes.com
• Vice: http://www.vicerecords.com
More about: The Raveonettes
