The Raveonettes: 'Pretty in Black' Out West

It Happened Last Night

The Raveonettes: 'Pretty in Black' Out West

SEATTLE: The gloomy Danish duo debut new songs amidst a host of old favorites and clever covers.

By Tiffany Wan 06.06.07 3:00 AM

Dressed in stylishly coordinated black attire, the Raveonettes descended on Seattle's Triple Door last night (June 5) for a quiet yet striking show. "We've never played here before, but it looks really fancy," said Sune Rose Wagner, the male half of the noir-ish Copenhagen duo.

A packed, yet not quite sold-out crowd of twenty-somethings and aging music aficionados sat stadium style at a series of booths, some wining and dining, as opening act Midnight Movies started off the evening in stellar fashion. Playing tunes from their latest LP, Lion the Girl, the L.A.-based trio's sound drew equally from Jefferson Airplane-era psychedelia and the fuzzy reverb sounds of the Jesus and Mary Chain.

As Sharin Foo stalked the stage with a glass of wine and her Kate Moss-like good looks, the Raveonettes found their footing while performing fan favorites like "Attack of the Ghost Riders" and "Love Can Destroy Anything." Their adroit selection of covers -- Sonic Youth "100%," and a slinky version of Gun Club's "Sex Beat" -- came of seamlessly. But the Raveonettes' new material, however, shunned the monochromatic tone of earlier albums, but exhibited their penchant for dissonant harmonies. Midnight Movies drummer Sandra Vu helped flesh out the duo's guitar-driven melodies on fresh songs such as "Lust," "Black Satin" and "The Beat Dies." Utilizing Wagner and Foo's ability to play off each other musically, the new tunes yielded a much more lush, romantic sound different from the Raveonettes' usual doom and gloom.

We asked: While recording their first album, the Raveonettes set a series of rules for themselves (writing all songs in B-minor, not recording anything longer than three minutes, etc.). If you were to record music, what crazy rules and regulations would you set for yourself?

Name: Alexis Smith
Age: 26
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Occupation: Student
"The rule is that there are no rules."

Name: Gavin Carrol
Age: 33
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Occupation: Apparel designer
"Mine would be to not have many rules, I don't like rules or limitations too much."

Name: Valerie Calano
Age: 27
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Occupation: Client services for a shopping website
"I'd make every song sound like it came out of the '60s psychedelic era."

Name: Clarke Ollis
Age: 24
Hometown: Mercer Island, WA
Occupation: Tech support for Nintendo
"I'd record songs in A minor only, because I gotta step it up a notch from B minor, and I want all my songs to be two minutes long, and M&Ms have to be present."

Name: Lucas Webster
Age: 21
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Occupation: Tech support for Nintendo
"I recorded two songs in the last few days and they were all about dreams; they were videogame dreams."

Name: Jennie Nguyen
Age: 18
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Occupation: Tech support for Nintendo
"I'd make my music so that when you look at it or hear it, you'd think, 'Whoa, she must have been on acid.' And Lego's have to be present."

Name: Anders Burgland
Age:21
Hometown: Vermont
Occupation: Student
"I would drench my music in reverb, make the snare drum poignant, make the bass luscious, the guitar solos would be incredible, and the main rule would be to have fun and be safe."

Name: Sean Donavan
Age: 22
Hometown: Fairbanks, AK
Occupation: Film editor
"There's no rules in rock! I'm in a punk band, and songs shouldn't be longer than three minutes anyways. An album you're releasing should be your utmost creative output."

Name: Sora Roberson
Age: 25
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Occupation: Personal assistant
"Just make it sound like yourself. Don't try to sound like what everyone else is doing. Just be smart about your decisions and don't let the man walk all over you!"

Name: David Barnett
Age: 29
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Occupation: Art student
"I would say the more experimental you are the better. I'd try to use obscure instruments, like combining the banjo with sitar -- and the cowbell."