Sune Rose Wagner

Guitarist and singer Sune Rose Wagner is half of the Raveonettes, a garage-rock-inspired band from Copenhagen that released a celebrated full-length album (Lust Lust Lust) and four EPs in 2008. Apparently not content with that prodigious output, Wagner also released this debut solo effort during the final weeks of that year. While there are certainly elements of the Raveonettes’ raunchy guitar-driven sound in Wagner’s solo debut (he’s the principal songwriter after all), on the whole these songs are not as dark. He’s still brooding and melancholy at times, yet without the hard edge, as on the lovely piano ballad “Altid” or the subtle doo-wop sensibility of “Gi’ Mig en Pige.” One instantly obvious difference is that Wagner sings all the vocals here in his native Danish, but this doesn’t detract much for those who don’t speak the language. If anything, it puts more emphasis on his catchy melodies and gorgeous reverb-heavy guitar playing, with tones ranging from fuzzed-out to chiming to blindingly bright. Wagner reveals a slightly different side on this eponymous effort, and it’s one that most fans of the Raveonettes will enjoy.