The Raveonettes Not ‘Out of Control’ with Fan Feedback
By Seraphina L.
Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner, aka The Raveonettes, are known for their tight-knit dual harmonies laid above hard-edged distortion and have managed to successfully combine dark, murky, noise rock with catchy surfer melodies since 2003.
Their latest album, In and Out of Control, is slated for an October 6 release via Vice Records. The album is highly anticipated since the band has let their fans in on the recording process. Although their request for feedback was criticized by some in the industry, The Raveonettes never needed to come to terms with how their fans felt vs. how they would execute the album…
According to Reuters, Wagner explained, “fans’ comments didn’t influence the final cuts,” and that the shared demos on twitter were merely to help get their fans excited since their last album, Lust, Lust Lust, had been released nearly two years ago. He had hoped that their fans would feel the same way when Kurt Cobain shared anything with Nirvana fans:
“When I was a kid I would’ve loved it if I could write Kurt Cobain a message and he would actually respond to it, or if he would post a little demo he was working on.”
Overall, this was a very grassroots strategy on behalf of The Raveonettes. When a simple social media platform such as Twitter can be used to connect with fans, they took advantage of the opportunity. In retrospect, it seemed to be a sincere approach because this duo isn’t all about marketing or profits.
Foo once said, “I see us as an extremely good rock ‘n’ roll band,” and great bands believe in only the music. This fact of dignity was a major factor in their reason for leaving Columbia. The two didn’t want to be promoted as “the next big thing” in order to do something such as sell Madison Square Garden out. In fact, they never aimed for that anyway.
So, they focus on the people who support their music for pure enjoyment – the fans. Sharing the demos wasn’t a cry for “help,” but a focus on why they were a band in the first place.
Download: ” Last Dance” from In and Out of Control [via EW]
In and Out of Control Track List:
Thursday, September 24, 2009 4:24PM
[...] out the official tracklist and download “Last Dance” here. Posted In: [...]
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 9:26PM
[...] or dangerous? The Raveonettes are about to release, In and Out of Control, their latest album created with fan feedback and now streaming in its entirety on their MySpace before the official release date of October 6. [...]
Thursday, October 15, 2009 12:11PM
[...] just released their album, In and Out of Control, on October 6 and they’re letting their fans get in on the experience again. According to their MySpace, they would “like to invite you, our fans, to come see us [...]