LP4

Ratatat | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 8, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: XL Recordings
• ASIN: B0031YEPUI
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,592 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Ratatat's new album LP4 is the next step forward on the work that Evan Mast and Mike Stroud began on LP3. It was conceived during the creative streak that began during the LP3 sessions at Old Soul studios, in rural Upstate New York. Since then the band have toured relentlessly; visiting countries such as Vietnam, China and Cambodia on the one hand, and selling out bigger venues than ever before on the other.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ratatat Doesn't Disappoint, June 8, 2010

By 

Cameraon Swagger "CSwagg" - See all my reviews

This review is from: LP4 (MP3 Download)

While many of these songs were recorded during the same session that produced LP3, the two years of re-working the songs has produced a new sound that is noticeably different than LP3, while still keeping the distinct Ratatat flavor. The pure genius of multi-instrumentalist and producer Evan Mast and guitarist Mike Stroud shines with this new album, keeping the listener regardless of the times played. Overall Amazing Album!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Instrumental album worthy of repeat listens, February 27, 2011

By 

PuroShaggy - See all my reviews

This review is from: LP4 (Audio CD)

For an instrumental album, composed and performed by two guys with a synthesizer and a guitar (with a couple engaging sound bites to mix-up the landscape), LP4 is another impressive outing by Ratatat.
How to describe the music on this album? At times, it reminds me (in a good way)of one of those slick, 70's session player albums that Jeff Beck or Boz Scaggs put out. The sound is bright and poppy, the melodies are non-stop, and there is so much going on in each song- in this case, such a wide-variety of synthesized yet enjoyable sounds- that the lack of vocals never gets dull or repetitive. Every song sounds like Ratatat, yet hints at other genres and/or artists in respectful ways. "Neckbrace" sounds like one of the aforementioned '70s tracks, driven by some funk inspired bass. "We Can't Be Stopped" sounds like an Elton John ballad, one of the wonderfully overproduced ones from the '70s. "Bare Feast" dabbles in middle-eastern flavors and would not be out of place on an M.I.A. album, while "Bob Gandhi" can't decide if it belongs on a Talking Heads or TV On the Radio release. Song after song, Ratatat produce their own versions of musical ideas indulged more in depth by other artists without coming across as merely playing lip service.
This is not their best effort, either in terms of consistency of tracks or in terms of staking out new territory. It is, however, undeniably Ratatat, which is original enough to make this electro-pop, percussion driven, synthesizer celebrating release a worthy purchase.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Techo-Organic Video Game Soundtrack You Never Heard, November 21, 2010

By 

Jeff Hodges (Denton, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: LP4 (MP3 Download)

Outside of the general categorization of electronica, "LP4" defies a more specific description. When I was exposed to "LP4", its organic, thematic qualities immediately caught my ear. Those familiar with Jean-Michel Jarre may recognize "LP4" as a more playful species of his work, while fans of Daft Punk will also find a lot to relate to. Ratatat takes electronica as seriously as Daft Punk did in the late 90s, but "LP4" is less expressly geared towards dance culture. It will undoubtedly get some heads bobbing, but Ratatat's atmosphere and aesthetic are also geared towards active listening. They mine the creative potential of electronic medium like Trevor Horn and the Art of Noise did in the 80s.

Unlike their elders, however, Ratatat enjoys a technological environment in which electronica has the increasing potential to sound less electronic. This grants a relatively small and underground group like Ratatat the capacity to create music of vast sonic complexity. What took Jarre a roomful of synthesizers and technicians in the 80s now can be done on a club stage with a more efficient and autonomous laptop. This organic side of Ratatat also emerges no small part due to guitarist Mike Stroud. His insistently melodic and sometimes epic style is playfully reminiscent of Queen's Brian May. His use of processing creates walls of guitar that certainly recall May's studio approach.

Upon listening to "LP4," the powerful rhythmic hooks of the track "Drugs" immediately struck me. The following track "Neckbrace" is a similarly driving pastiche of strings and indescribable melodic electro-vocals. These upbeat songs are counterbalanced by darker, more atmospheric pieces like "Bare Feast," which pushes harpsichord right up against Panjabi drums. Without delving too deeply into any sort of "authentic" styles, these tracks are still permeated with thematic qualities, creating the illusion of very clever and very original video game music.

THE LOWDOWN: Describing "LP4" in such a way is not meant as a negative criticism. Instead, consider what might happen if Brian May made a video game score with Daft Punk that was produced by Trevor Horn. Add a little multiethnic appropriation and you'd have something not unlike "LP4."