Dead Flowers Interviews Sune from The Raveonettes

Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo make up The Raveonettes. Hailing from Denmark, they've become skilled practitioners in the sort of dark musical arts that Dead Flowers appreciates above all else. Their most recent album, Lust Lust Lust, made my Best of 2007 list, and Wagner's just released eponymous solo album made my Best of 2008 list. I got in touch with Sune to learn more about his solo record, the Raveonettes' back catalog, and his general approach to making music.

Dead Flowers: Are the songs on your solo album relatively new, or have some been around for a while and you didn't think they would fit on a Raveonettes release?

Sune Rose Wagner: They are all new-ish. Written and recorded in Copenhagen last summer.

DF: Probably my two favorite tracks on the record are "Hvad Der Sker" and "Afgrunden". For your non-Danish-speaking audience, would you like to explain what either of those are about? Are you covering similar lyrical ground to The Raveonettes, or exploring some other angle(s)?

SRW: "Hvad Der Sker" is a song about my generation and my friends. We live quite different lives than "normal" people cause we're all creative beings and indulge in various illicit stuff. "Afgrunden" is about not being able to find true love.

"Hvad Der Sker", from Sune Rose Wagner

DF: Was Sharin's taking time off because of her pregnancy the impetus behind the solo record, or was it something that had already been in the works?

SRW: The first.

DF: I'm a big fan of your guitar work, whether it's on your solo album or with The Raveonettes. There are a lot of songs where a riff or line will really define the tune--like "Love in a Trashcan", "Lust" or "Beruset Og Forhadt"--I think it's a really underrated part of your sound. Who inspired your guitar style?

SRW: Mark Knopfler, surf music, and David Gilmore.

"Love in a Trashcan", from Pretty in Black, Live:

DF: You seem to be a prolific songwriter. If songs come to you easily, how do you ensure such a high level of quality control? How many songs have you shelved?

SRW: I don't think I've written the best songs yet. I constantly try to develop as a songwriter. I challenge myself every time but one day I'll hit it perfectly. I have hundreds of songs lying around.

"Lust", from The Raveonettes' Lust Lust Lust, Acoustic:

DF: With The Raveonettes, you got a lot of attention for writing the first two records in one key each. Do you think that resulted in you being unfairly pigeonholed?

SRW: I think so. I think a lot of people think we're this kitsch band who lives in the 50's which is ridiculous, we never embraced any retro techniques in our music. We've always done everything on computers using samples and break beats and plug-ins. We don't even record with guitar amps, we just plug directly into the computer and shit.

"Sleepwalking", from The Raveonettes' Pretty in Black

DF: I noticed these two things in a recent interview & myspace posting:

Metromix LA Interview 12/07: Yeah. I can get a bigger sound at home if I want to. Plus, recording at home, there's no pressure. If you book a studio for two weeks, you have to finish that album within two weeks. You have to get up and work every day, and if you don't feel like working, you just wasted two thousand dollars not working one day. And I hate that. So here, I can just record whenever I want. It's fun. I'm surrounded by everything that inspires me. I have my whole vinyl collection, CDs, DVDs, books—everything that I want is right here.

Myspace 1/09: It'll be released in September and we wanna do a proper studio album with a genius producer. There's only so much you can do in your living room and let's face it, whenever you pull out one of your favorite albums, it'll stand the test of time because of a timeless sound, excellent production and songwriting. Now's the right time for us to step it up…

Has your thinking on the subject evolved, or do you regularly go back and forth between wanting to be self-sufficient and wanting to get that 'timeless sound'?

SRW: It's a mixture of both. We wouldn't wanna use a studio to do beats and samples and stuff but we would record some drums and ambiance for various guitars, percussion, and vocals.

DF: You were working with a pretty broad palette on "Pretty in Black", but went back to basics for "Lust Lust Lust". What prompted the change in direction?

SRW: It's just a feel you know. Whatever goes on in your life pretty much determines the outcome I think.

DF: I'm a drummer, so to be honest drum machines, especially ones that are used poorly, can really bother me. But I think the drums on your records are really well done. How do you approach the drums from a philosophical and/or sonic standpoint?

SRW: My main instrument is drums. I got a drum kit when I was 5 years old and have always loved playing the drums. I think drum machines should sound like drum machines otherwise what's the point. I like to mix break beats with drum machines, it's a nice clash.

DF: In the live lineup, you and Sharin are the two constants (except for last year when Sharin's pregnancy forced her to sit out some shows). You've had a revolving supporting cast that seemed to depend on the album you were promoting. Can you talk about what goes through your mind when you're looking for live players?

SRW: It's really simple actually, whoever is available at the time!

Thanks to Sune for speaking with Dead Flowers, and thanks to Mads at Auditorium Records for arranging the interview. Be sure to catch The Raveonettes' US mini-tour this winter:

Jan 16 2009 8:00P NEW YORK, Webster Hall New York City, New York
Jan 17 2009 8:00P WASHINGTON DC, Black Cat Washington, Washington DC
Jan 23 2009 8:00P SAN FRANCISCO, Bimbo’s 365 Club San Francisco, California
Jan 24 2009 8:00P LOS ANGELES, Henry Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, California

Sune Rose Wagner Myspace
Listen to Sune Rose Wagner in its Entirety
Watch Sune Perform Songs from the Album Live
Raveonettes Myspace
Raveonettes Wiki
My Lust Lust Lust Review