The Phoenix Network:
 
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 
CD Reviews  |  Classical  |  Live Reviews  |  Music Features
100 unsexiest men 2009

Ratatat | LP3

XL
By ZETH LUNDY  |  July 8, 2008
3.5 3.5 Stars
ratat_inside.jpg
After two albums of Queen-worthy guitars sighing and heaving over beats that sound like handclaps caught in a vacuum cleaner, the Ratatat æsthetic should, by now, be exhausted. Classics perfected the instrumental glitch pop of the homonymous debut from Mike Stroud and Evan Mast, but it left little room for growth. On the deceptively titled LP3, however, Ratatat go outside their comfort zone, replacing a lot of the epic metal riffage with zither, tablas, harpsichord, and a host of assorted pianos and keyboards. The result is some kind of cosmic machine music, reflecting not just a stoner’s world of internalized minimalist headbanging but an entire universe of culture, texture, and possibility. LP3 trips through Spanish flair (“Mi Viejo”), Indian groove (“Mirando”), and plenty of interstellar wake-and-bake (“Shiller” and “Imperials,” with its space-prog organ) without ever losing the essence of Ratatat’s plangent whiplash. The band sound prepared to go anywhere, as long as they’re headed away from the novelty bin.
Related: Ratatat, Shearwater, The Major Labels, More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Evan Mast, Mike Stroud, RATATAT,  More more >
  • Share:
  • RSS feed Rss
  • Email this article to a friend Email
  • Print this article Print
Comments

THE BEST 2009
Today's Event Picks
--> -->
ARTICLES BY ZETH LUNDY
Share this entry with Delicious

 See all articles by: ZETH LUNDY

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2009 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group