Washington, DC. Apparently some guys get overwhelmed by a six foot tall blonde with a voice that sounds, um, just like honey.
“TAKE OFF YOUR DRESS!! screamed a pack of jackasses as Sharin Foo towered over them last night at the Black Cat. While the rest of us gave them the evil eye, guitarist Manoj Ramdos, snarled “Come up HERE and take off YOUR dress!” He underlined the invite with a ferocious guitar thrashing aimed directly at the hecklers.
And so began the love affair between (once) politically correct Washington and the Raveonettes. I’m not sure if that kind of thing happens back in their home turf of Denmark, but I’m guessing probably not. After all, in Denmark, women earn twice as much as men and generally have five husbands. OK, I made that up, but if the women there are anything like Sharin, its possible.
The rest of the audience offered a warmer welcome than the Girls Gone Wild crew. It was a Monday night in the city that always sleeps so the crowd was lighter than it should have been, but the few hundred rebels in attendance were mesmerized by how songwriter Sune Rose Wagner brought the corpse of Buddy Holly to life with an injection of attitude and retro style.
I hadn’t seen this band for years, back when they were Jesus and Mary Chaining their way through the opening slot for Interpol. Times have changed. They shaved off the fuzz. They cut out the distortion. Some songs from the their latest release are reminiscent of 50s girl group bob, a cleaner sounding homage to the days when rock was young but with gritty broken love lyrics. At a time when the world seems to hate us, hearing a Danish duo referencing distinctly American sounds was, well, a little relieving. See, we have more to give than McDonalds! Honest!
The charming combination of boy girl vocals has been a big part of the Raveonettes appeal and the absence of effects allows it to come through even more powerfully. When Sharin sings on her own, bringing a cool detachment to their cover of My Boyfriends Back, (backed by an overdriven electronic pulse) you are left wondering why it took forty years to dust off this old song that just a few minutes ago you never
wanted to hear again. The haunting use of reverb, vintage atmosphere and noir nostalgia puts the new Raveonettes material in contention for a David Lynch soundtrack, but those who came looking for the balls out big sound that put this band on the map had plenty of
material to make their ears ring.
Unlike earlier releases, all of the tracks on Pretty in Black were recorded live, and it showed in their flawless performance. If the sexist boys up front had stayed home, we might have had an encore. But when the Raveonettes left the stage, they never looked
back.
