Danish rock duo Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo have performed together as the Raveonettes since they formed in Copenhagen in 2001, but they haven't been back there a whole lot since.
After their two-part harmonies over fuzzed-out pop tracks started becoming popular worldwide, the pair began spending a great deal of time on the road, and both relocated to the States. Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Wagner now spends most of his time in New York, while bassist Foo has taken up residence in Los Angeles. But when recording their recently released "In and Out of Control," they decided it was time to come home.
"We did the whole album there," Wagner said in a recent phone interview from New York. "We wrote and recorded all of it in Copenhagen. The decision to do it there was a fairly easy one. We're both from there, know the city, and feel quite comfortable there. It was very nice because we only really get back there for work or if we're going to play a show or something. It all worked out very well."
The new album, the band's fourth full-length, tackles a broad spectrum of heavy issues. Although a few songs focus on love, most of the subject matter on the new record deals with things such as violence, rape, suicide and addiction. While the band is no stranger to dark lyrics, Wagner said it has nothing at all to do with past songs or where the album was recorded.
"Really, it's because the music is so very sweet," he said. "It's very glossy. And there are a lot of songs that are very pretty-sounding. It's what we wanted, but it's also nice to counterbalance it with things that are not so sweet. 'Last Dance,' for instance, is a very pretty song, but it's all about how addiction can f---- up relationships. There's definitely a contrast in the music that we find appealing."
Seven of the album's 11 tracks were written by Wagner and producer Thomas Troelsen, while the rest were written by Wagner alone. Like all of their albums, the final tracklist was whittled from a large pool of primarily Wagner-composed songs. Many that didn't make the cut will end up as B-sides to singles they'll release or on special editions of the album. And while Wagner and Foo did the final versions of the songs for "Control" on-site, living so far away from each other forced them to share ideas in new ways.
"Sometimes I send her finished songs," said Wagner, "and sometimes it's just a verse or chorus or something. It's just to get her opinion on it. If it's something she likes, then I'll keep working on it and we'll send it back and forth. Eventually, we have something that we're both really satisfied with. It's a cool way of doing it. But ways to make music are really changing."
Late last year, Wagner also changed things by releasing a self-titled solo album. It was also written in the Danish capital, ironically during a period when he was supposed to be taking some time off. The album was a somewhat autobiographical account of the days he was spending in the city, and it was sung entirely in his native tongue.
"It was because I was in Copenhagen," he said. "I got bored and decided to go in and record an album. I just wrote about everything I was doing in Copenhagen while I was there ---- a crazy night out or thoughts I had while I was walking around. It was actually a big challenge for me because I've never done anything in Danish before. It was strange writing the words. My vocabulary is somewhat limited, because I don't read books or anything in the language. But there was no pressure at all and a fun thing to do. At some point, I'll definitely do it again."
For now, the Raveonettes are focused on finishing up the last of their U.S. dates before jumping straight into a European tour. Then it's a short break over the holidays and either a swing through Asia or an intimate acoustic run back through America.
"We'd love to play places where people can sit down," said Wagner, "like cafes or something. We've been talking about doing a little cozy, intimate thing for a while. But whatever we end up doing, I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun."
The Raveonettes, with Crocodiles
When: 9 p.m. Nov. 12
Where: Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach
Tickets: $18-$20
Info: 858-481-8140 or bellyup.com
Web: theraveonettes.com
