The Brooklyn duo, Ratatat, has an 11-year career in which the group has expanded in sound, expanded in instruments and consequently nurtured a hip-hop, electronic aesthetic to a perfect bloom. The Emerald takes a look at Evan Mast and Mike Stroud’s near-palpable progression from a humble band to fervent artists.

Ratatat (2004)

With the simple pairing of two guitars and plenty of electronic engagement, Ratatat made waves in the instrumental scene with their 2004 self-titled debut. Although rooted in electronica, the seamless blending of various impressions makes the album sonically and emotionally unique.
The album is grounded by the entrancing compositions that Mast and Stroud bring to life — using a myriad of unique textures and accent-intensive drum beats to do so. Throughout the album, electric guitar slides and melancholic synth lines agree with musing percussion movements. “Ratatat” establishes the band’s musical spine.
Ratatat’s hip-hop and rock muscles are flexed in the opening “Seventeen Years.” Halfway through, after the record’s exposition, a soft sentimentality is the focus with “Bustelo.” The energy picks up near the ending with the guitar force, “Germany to Germany,” and concludes with the emotional movement “Cherry.”
As the music naturally rises and falls, one can’t help but feel emotionally affected by Ratatat’s dismal pallette. An underlying apathy lies beneath the band’s sound, but “Ratatat” is the seed; the primitive phases of driven music figuring itself out — in other words, it’ll grow.

Classics (2006)

“Classics” is a vehicle to show off all the new instruments in Mast and Stroud’s repertoire; a recurring theme in their development. “Classics” is filled to the brim with high-octane energy. Every moment on the album is either filled with vitality or anticipating it.
The compositions on “Classics” gravitate more towards the groovy. Ratatat, in this album, incorporates these sweeping guitar wahs just as much as the fast strikes heard in the bulk of the debut. The guitar drawl makes the songs more fluid, and add that touch of sadness that every Ratatat fan craves.
The opener, “Montanita,” flows like water. “Wildcat,” the single, is an electronic repartee of sorts; but leave out the comical wit and amp up the head-nodding. The album turns, then, to a breakneck tune in “Loud Pipes,” and winds down the party with “Nostrand,” a song that’s just as calm as it is crazed.
As Ratatat develops their sound, some aspects of their music need make way for others: In this album’s case, the duo doesn’t expose its underlying sadness as much and instead finds solace in riding grooves. Their style is solidifying, and in the meantime, everybody moves.

LP3 (2008)

“LP3” is forged from a different breed of electronica than Ratatat’s previous works. A work open to interpretation, “LP3” is best described through the striking red and yellow color palette on the album’s cover — not words.
The album, retaining “Classics’” energy, stresses power and, in some ways, is embedded in nature. The bird chirps, sounds of gushing waves and an overall natural aesthetic give the record an instinctive atmosphere. The guitar solos sometimes demand respect, and other times ask for sympathy but are always dominant.
“Falcon Jab” sets the album’s tone early. Its raw power is matched two tracks later by “Mirando” with its commanding guitar riffs. The eccentric “Shempi” is as much of a living entity as it is a song. And “Brulée” is a force of feeling that’s wistful yet content.
“LP3” lets the listener find a world within the album instead of imposing. Ratatat’s compositions become more dynamic, but are still very much in form. And through the grandiose compositions, Ratatat’s growing self-awareness is made apparent.

LP4 (2010)

“LP4” is the pinnacle of Ratatat’s growing sound. The album is eccentric, darker and more mature. The recordings for the album were made during the “LP3” sessions, but through the post-recording production, the sounds became drastically different.
“LP4” is a maximalist project — everything is blown up to be made a spectacle. Every song is coated with a sweet blend of harpsichord slings, a whirling string quartet, bouncy voice boxes and a parade of synths. The way it’s compiled is considerably more dynamic than their previous releases, though.
The tracks “Neckbrace” and “Mandy” are prime examples of this more dynamic, maximalist composition style. “Sunblocks” plays a softer role with perhaps the greatest guitar solo in their discography. And “Grape Juice City,” a quirky track, takes us back to the natural world crafted in “LP3.”
The blurry vision Ratatat had back in 2004 is crystal clear here. Their alternative guitar tracks are now fine art. Unfortunately, “LP4” was the last record the duo released for half a decade.

Magnifique (2015)

After a five-year hiatus, Ratatat came back for another album in 2015. Mast and Stroud’s sound is fixed into the duo’s core, so that didn’t change much. Compared to “LP4,” though, “Magnifique” is slicker, simplified and more relaxed.
“Cream on Chrome” is the nonchalant force of the record. “Drift” personifies “Magnifique’s” simplicity. “Supreme” and “Primetime” are like neon muscle relaxers that slow everything down.
“Magnifique” lacked the invisible life-force present in the rest of the team’s work, but by this time, most fans were just happy to receive new music. Now, the duo’s two guitars are crystallized in time.