Sunday, July 31, 2011 4:00 PM
Beekman Beach Beer Garden
South St & Beekman St, New York, NY
Maintaining a cult fan base for as long as The Raveonettes have – 10 years and counting – it was only a matter of time before some of the most-loyal of acolytes began branching out to make their own kinds of beautiful noise. The musical DNA of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo is evident – and credited – by the likes of The Drums, Best Coast, Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls, and the British bands The Vaccines and Glasvegas. NME.com went so far to declare the Danish duo as responsible for sparking “America’s pop renaissance.”
Today, the Raveonettes are blazing a newer, darker trail with the latest release Raven In The Grave (Vice Records, 2011). Melody remains key, but the familiar bombastic beats and squalls of guitar-noise take a backseat to ghostly synths and chillingly beautiful riffs that leave one feeling simultaneously unsettled and enchanted. It’s easily the most soulful music the band has created to date.
When Virginians Nicole Yun hooked up with Daniel Cundiff, they immediately knew they had the right musical chemistry, and what resulted was something very, very punk. They call it dream punk. Taut, hooky and often wide-open, their sound is simple but it takes up room. They employ the quietest quiets and the loudest louds-from hazy, clanging reveries to rapid No Wave squalls, calling to mind early indie legends like the Raincoats, Galaxie 500, Beat Happening, and Unrest.