Review Summary: good album
Ratatat has routinely delivered lyrically vacant yet powerful electronic music masterpieces, and their latest album LP3 is no exception. Ratatat is the musical offspring of duo Evan Mast and Mike Stroud, both of whom play multiple instruments on their tracks. Their music has a characteristic guitar style, provided by Stroud, intermixed with multiple other, sometimes indistinguishable, sounds and instruments. The diversity of sound, the chord progressions, and driving beats make for an epic and often emotional listening experience. Though their songs lack any form of lyrical clarity, aside from occasional heavily modified voices, the melodies and rhythms more than make up for it—stemming from multiple sources, often coalescing into a harmonious and atmospheric swoon. LP3 draws from the style of previous albums, building a more diverse collection of songs that are not solely reserved for the dance floor. Ratatat offers a characteristically powerful and often emotionally moving album that takes the listener on a wonderful journey of musical discovery.
The first track on the album begins with a low electric hum that rapidly builds into a musical chord—a shrill and drawn out chord. The beginning of the song, aptly named Shriller, is an interesting departure from normal Ratatat offerings. It has no beat throughout the entire song, it is driven completely by melody. The song draws to mind images of a recluse—a toiling, yet underappreciated, genius hammering away his masterpieces in a forlorn castle atop a lonesome hill. However the song is not entirely dark or brooding, and this is precisely what makes it worth listening to. There is a gradual buildup that pulls the listener in, a sense of hope and yearning that is eventually satisfied at the climax of the song. It builds and speeds until slowing down into a more ominous and decidedly more airy sound that slowly fades away. Shriller was at once dark and brooding while at the same time maintaining the drama of hope and deliverance. The track also has a luring feel to it, as if it is beckoning the listener into the gateway of the album.
After the peaceful air created by Shriller settles, the next track Falcon Jab grabs the listener by the ear immediately. It begins with a highly distorted and noisy deep voice, repeating indiscernible gibberish. The use of the distorted voice is similar to the Stockhausen’s use of children’s voices in Gesang Der Junglinge. Then the characteristic guitar enters, accompanied by a pleasantly driving beat. The beat is never overwhelming and does not immediately inspire the urge to dance. However this is characteristic of the album as a whole, a characteristic I found quite enjoyable. Falcon Jab uses a wide variety of clicks and noisy elements as an addition to the beat, creating more depth and far more diversity in the beat.
The final song, Black Heroes, begins with a peaceful and playful atmosphere that slowly turns into what sounds almost like a march—a final march, perhaps, to signal the end of the album. The beat, much like in Shriller, is scattered and nearly nonexistent at times. The snare and bass drums of a military marching band set the pace, while the signature Ratatat guitar lays the melody. The swooning and building nature of the album’s songs is reminiscent of the buildups and falls of Tenney and Risset. Ratatat uses a wide variety of instruments from the Wurlitzer electric piano to live percussion sets. Ratatat truly creates beautiful works of electronic music and LP3 is a fresh new take in the same familiar Ratatat style.
