LP3 (Bonus Track Version)

definitely one of my favorite albums of all time. great rhythm and feel to it. definitely buying the full cd.

One of the top ten albums I will love for years.

This album is nothing special. It's Ratatat. Great. Just because it's Ratatat doesn't mean it is great. This album is not oozing with polish like some songs on Classics were. I feel like I really want to like these songs, but they are not as good as Tropicana, Loud Pipes, Lex, Wildcat, Kennedy, Nostrand, or Drugs. None of the songs are B-sides, yet none are A-sides, either; they are all good, but none terrific.

and i looked for some music, because i am, well, a music lover. i listen to the first song "schiller" and i start wondering how the song was produced. it seemed so simple and then after about 3 and and a half minutes i hear the entrance of the electric guitar. THIS IS WHAT MAKES IT THE BEST SONG IN THE ALBUM. If you dont happen to like it buy mirando or shempi. i got the whole thing (obviously) and was entertained for days and days. BUY THE ALBUM

Ratatat strikes again with the release of their third full length album, fittingly titled LP3. While some electronic artists may find themselves bound within the conventions of other musical genres, attempting to find unity throughout the course of a song using familiar melodies and rhythmic structures, Ratatat has no such hang-ups. Instead of being confined by the melody and harmony, chorus and verse structure that was musical convention for so long, these experimental-turned-mainstream beat makers instead follow their own path. Extensive use of looping tracks and various layered, atypically musical noises define this album, and these artists as ones to pay attention to in years to come. By freeing themselves of the conventional definition of popular music, Ratatat allows their music to establish a new purpose for itself beyond lyrical or rhythmic story-telling. The artists very successfully attempt to use their music to imagine a scene, to describe a moment or an environment or an emotion. The loop lasting the first 5 seconds of the track “Mirando” is all it takes for the listener to become immersed into the sounds of the jungle – a simple drum beat and guitar riff, layered over each other for just a few seconds, can describe an entirely new world. Once the scene is established in the mind of the listener, the rest of the song only serves to enforce the image that it first created. Other tracks use loops to invoke an emotional response from the listener. “Brulee” seems to insist that there is a bright side to be found amidst any darkness. Throughout the track there runs a repeated loop which reminds the listener of rain falling in the afternoon; this sound is perpetually drowned out by the uplifting beats of the piano melody. By layering these parts together, the artist evokes distinct emotions which converge into a single positive attitude. The lack of any contextual framework can be damaging to the music, however. Certain tracks which don't define as easily define an image instead become fairly empty, devoid of any driving purpose that would keep the listener interested. “Mumtaz Khan” has no real, emotional context, nor does it instill a scene into the mind of the listener. “Flynn”, the second shortest song on the album, also seems to be more of a filler song than one which stands up to true critique. At times these less well defined tracks can overwhelm the listener with too many repeated “hook loops” that actually tend to repel instead of attract. These songs can be excellent as background tracks for a social gathering or while driving, but lack the necessity of analysis that some of the other tracks have. It is difficult to establish a genre that correctly identifies Ratatat, and LP3 in particular, because the loops which they use, even within a given track, may be pulled from so many different styles. In “Falcon Jab”, the artists' exclusive use of generated sounds, along with the titling, give the impression of the background music of a video game, whereas “Shempi” has a definite, disco style appeal. “Mumtaz Khan” has some vestiges of the far east, while “Mirando” seems to come straight from the streets of Rio. In LP3, Ratatat establishes an international appeal and atmosphere that is as impressive in its variety as it is interesting to listen to. Davis Walker signing out.

i love this band rattat has been my favorite band for such a long time too bad so many people dont know about their existance altho they have problably already have herd them they've made beats for so many hip/hop artists like Kid Cudi and Kanye West

i actually only really like falcon jab and dura on this album, their other 2 albums are amazing

I thought with time this album would grow on me, but even after repeated listens it's never given me the same satisfaction, and occasional goosebumps, as Ratatat's first two albums, especially the latter. The iTunes review for "Classics", that second LP, describes it as a melancholy soundtrack for a film in which the characters cannot smile. You listen to its tracks and are filled with emotions ranging from exhilaration to rage to despair. Whereas this CD seems almost uniformly to be just a collection of interesting sounds, as if the musicians weren't trying to convey any particular moods but just tossing in whatever struck their fancy and hoping we liked it. Feels rather like an interstitial album made from the leftovers of previous work.

I swear their albums are soundtracks to bleach three story arcs

Then I heard these guys on "All Songs Considered" and changed my outlook. Merando is fantastic so is Brulee. Do yourself a solid and get this. Also do your self a solid and quit dressing like that. You're in to deep.