The Raveonettes

Since its inception, Danish duo The Raveonettes has stirred an icy, black and white mix of bittersweet girl-group melodies, film noir imagery, Velvet Underground cool, and Jesus And Mary Chain static. Given the influence that list’s first and last items have on younger heatseekers like Dum Dum Girls, Best Coast, and Woven Bones, you’d think Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo might put away their Philles Records 45s and unplug the effects pedals on 2011’s Raven In The Grave. To the contrary, the record is another slab of Crystals-meets-Creation scum-pop, boasting a confidence earned from several years in the gutter—plus some of the band’s most effective (and affecting) ballads to date.

Updated 06/13/2012