Up until a week ago, I didn’t even know that one of my favorite electronic duos, Ratatat, would soon be releasing their 4th album, appropriately titled LP4. And now I found myself giving it a full listen just a few days later. Here are my first impressions.
1. Bilar: Starts out with a sustained note building up before dropping into a disctinly Ratatat-esque beat. As expected, there are all of the things we know and love about Ratatat. Hints of piano, synth-sounding strings, clearly strummed guitars, etc. Nothing too crazy here, but a nice reminder of what we love so much about this duo.
2. Drugs: This song is called “Drugs” so curious to see what it brings. Starts out with someone speaking in a language I don’t recognize, carried over from the first song. Starts out really subtle, and then gets funky, in a Ratatat way. A great example of how this group takes so many tiny elements and combines them into something great. And those nice and familiar wailing electric guitars. I think I expected a song called “Drugs” to be a bit more psychedelic, but I guess all Ratatat is inherently psychedelic.
3. Neckbrace: Starts out with an audio clip again. Kinda sounds like someone’s voice singing the bassline. A more experimental track, but I enjoy experimental. So far this album is sounding a little like a continuation of LP3. And I loved LP3. I like the way the main melody is passed around from one instrument/effect to the next throughout.
4. We Can’t Be Stopped: A much more flowing track than usual. That piece of it (but not the melody itself) reminds me a bit of “Montanita”. Really nice strings (real or actual) throughout, but doesn’t much go anywhere and at 2:10 in length, doesn’t have much of a chance.
5. Bob Ghandi: Almost a subtle house beat coming in and out. Those crisp, clear acoustic guitars are abundant, and then it picks up with electrics on top of those. Beat gets really fast in the middle, but still reserved. This track has lots of changes from quiet to loud and back which is good. But we haven’t really heard them bring it yet on this album.
6. Mandy: This one makes you bop your head right off the bat. Good beat while staying really light. All kinds of crazy animal sound effects in the background. I think I just heard a bird and a dinosaur. Good tune.
7. Mahalo: Another 2 minute track. Starts out really slow and really pretty. And as the name suggests, there are some subtle Hula undertones at times.
8. Party With Children: Definitely pick up the pace again with this song, even though it’s still relatively subdued. But I would say this is one of the more fun tracks. Some brighter elements here and there. Ends with a spoken word sample about a kid wondering what he’s going to do with his future.
9. Sunblocks: I’m starting to realize how difficult it is to review a Ratatat album. There are always a million things going on, but it’s almost impossible to describe any of them. Anyway, this one has become pretty bright as well. I think that’s when Ratatat is at their best. The screaming guitars just lend themselves to this kind of stuff. This could be my favorite so far.
10. Bare Feast: Starts with a Eastern European/Middle Eastern vibe. This one is pretty fun as well. Totally dig the changes in the beat as I always do. Ok, maybe this is my favorite now. Fades away into oblivion and ends with another spoken word sample.
11. Grape Juice City: One of the harder tracks I can remember on this album. Really prominent bongos and random bird chirps add a nice touch of the jungle. It almost sounds like “Mirando” pt.2. Maybe Mirando is from Grape Juice City, assuming Mirando is a person. Gets into some classic Ratatat sounds. Seems the second half of this album have tickled my fancy more than the first. Yep, definitely in the jungle. Or a bird sanctuary.
12. Alps: A seemingly classic piano chord progression with a Ratatat twist. Despite the minor chords at the end of each phrase, this still sounds really happy and fresh. At about the halfway point, the song turns markedly darker. But then gets bright again, harpsichords, brass instruments and all. Very regal, if not for the space lasers. String instruments fading out. A fitting end.
In conclusion, while I liked the second half a bit more than the first, it’s still a pretty solid album from Ratatat. If you’re looking for the heavy beats or straightforward melodies of Classics, you’ve come to the wrong place. But if you enjoyed the more experimental and free-form tones on LP3 as I did, you are probably going to like this one. I actually kind of hated LP3 on my first listen, but now that I’m in that mindset with this band, LP4 was a natural fit, and one that will only get more natural. Looking back at the album artwork up top, it’s pretty appropriate because I can remember birds being a part of at least two or three tracks.
Yeah, I think me and this album will get along juuuust fine.
Ratatat – Sunblocks(track removed by request)
Ratatat – Bare Feast(track removed by request)
Ratatat – Party With Children
