LP3 Is More Of The Same From Ratatat

I first checked Ratatat out in 2004 when someone recommended their self-titled album on an underground torrent trading site. Oh yeah, that’s right. Sometimes illegal piracy actually results in people checking out new bands whose stuff they eventually pay money for. But let’s not get sidetracked.

That first album didn’t grab me. But in 2006, their second album, Classics, rode into my life high atop a hype horse, and I gave them another chance. I bought that one, and still rock it here and there, two years later.

Last week I got my hands on LP3, their newest album, which hits the street tomorrow courtesy of XL Recordings. I threw it on, and for the first 10 minutes or so, I wasn’t sure if it was a legitimately new LP, or a Classics remix album. And that’s the upside and the downside: Yes, it’s as good as Classics. But I’m a little disappointed to hear not a trace of growth or development.

I could end this review right here, if I could be sure that everyone reading it was familiar with the band’s first two albums. Those that liked ‘em would pick this one up, and those that didn’t would skip it. But Ratatat is still flying under the mainstream radar for the most part, and since consistent quality isn’t a bad substitute for a lack of progression, I should do my best to give credit where it’s due.

I doubt I could ever give the album as glowing a review as Ratatat themselves has; When asked if LP3 was a better ‘party record’ compared to “previous records,” mastermind Evan Mast slyly answered: “It’s better for parties than previous records, and I don’t just mean our records. I mean all records.”

This sort of hubris is to expected with some artists. Some, like Kanye West, have a right. Some, like Brandon Flowers and Bono, are just assholes in shitty bands. But then some are just making fun of themselves, and after checking out the ridiculous video for LP3’s Mirando, I’m pretty fucking sure that Evan Mast & Mike Stroud are just a couple of smartasses in that third category:

With all that aside, Ratatat has toured with the likes of Daft Punk, Mogwai, and Björk- whose house they recorded much of Classics in- and I can say that such honor is earned with their talent. There’s a rumor going around that they’ll sign to Star Trak, and there’s a phrase being used in conjunction with the rumor that calls them something to the effect of the “Neptunes‘ understudies.” This phrase might not be fair to Ratatat, whose beats and melodies are unique and catchy enough to stand alone- beside and not beneath- Pharrell and company, especially if the latter keeps dropping duds like Seeing Sounds.

LP3
Available July 8, 2008
XL Recordings

1. Shiller
2. Falcon Jab
3. Mi Viejo
4. Mirando
5. Flynn
6. Bird-Priest
7. Shempi
8. Imperials
9. Dura
10. Bruleé
11. Mumtaz Khan
12. Gipsy Threat
13. Black Heroes