Ratatat

LP3 (XL)

By Saskia Lacey
Published: July 12th, 2008 | 9:00am

Welcome to Planet Ratatat. On their aptly titled LP3, Mike Stroud (the band’s lead guitarist), and Evan Mast (Ratatat’s producer and expert knob-twister), transport their listeners to a synth-ruled soundscape. Similar in tone to Kubrick’s 2OO1: A Space Odyssey, LP3’s sound is futuristic and campy. This is especially apparent on “Shempi,” a space-age stomper that deftly combines old school Nintendo beats and Ratatat’s signature harmonized guitar hooks. The result is an album that will make both the Mario Brothers and Daft Punk fans get down.

Of course, LP3 is not a movie soundtrack. But like their ambient and electronic forefathers, Ratatat’s music has been consistently deemed incomplete by the unimaginative listener. And, though Ratatat frequently incorporates video into their live shows, each of their albums has been able to stand on their own — without accompanying visual media. LP3 is no exception. In “Bruleé,” Ratatat weaves a wordless narrative with thunderbolt samples and descriptive guitar leads. The bright piano melody that opens the track is the sonic equivalent of a light drizzle.

Aside from the TLC-esque intro on “Dura," LP3 shows little hip-hop or funk influence. Surprising, considering Ratatat’s previous ventures, the funk-ridden Classics and Ratatat Remixes Vol. 1.

Even without the hip-hop, part of Ratatat’s appeal is their ability to combine multiple genres of music in ways that shouldn’t work, but do. In the album’s strongest number, “Falcon Jab,” cheerful piano melodies and electronic growls travel from opposite ends of the sonic spectrum to enter into a strange dialogue.

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