Ratatat: LP3

Label: XL

LP3, the third album (duh) from the visionary upstate New York duo Ratatat, is another sublime and delightful romp. Once again the group ingeniously creates an album that sounds fresh and retro all at once, redefining the very idea of instrumental music with its wonderful mix of sounds, styles and rhythms. As always, though, Ratatat never sacrifices melody in its search for something new. There are hooks galore here, some even downright Beatle-esque at times, and things never become monotonous – quite a neat trick given how stale the rock-electronic genre has been at times. Nary a dull track on LP3: the album’s highlight, “Mirando,” nicely mixes drums, snythesizers and acoustic instruments; “Flynn” mixes lounge-y vocals with a seductive reggae beat; and “Shiller” builds with prog-like progression that sounds like a Rick Wakeman-Wendy Carlos collaboration. Hip-hop, disco, rock, calypso – Ratatat throws it all into the mix and creates something truly special. Fun, fun, fun. (James)