Ratatat : Magnifique

They are consistently, excellently adept at pairing their sound with trippy, intriguing visuals, of which I shall post a few amongst this article. Perhaps, their most enjoyable to date, the immensely good, “Drugs”. Watch that shit. And that’s a pretty apt description for their sound at times. Think Brian May dropping acid and fucking around on guitars, synthesisers and some keyboards. It’s fun and minimal and on the whole, a treat for the ear holes. 

Ratatat, for those who don’t know, are a cool band. Yes. A cool band. The duo composed of Mike Stroud and Evan Mast are a psychedelic rock, electronic sort of outfit who have been making music for a little over a decade. In July of this year, they released their fifth project, Magnifique, after an absence of around five years. I really enjoy Ratatat’s music, and perhaps more than that, their videos.
 

Ratatat - Drugs - Video by Carl Burgess

With Magnifique, it seems they’ve revisited their early career for inspiration, which isn’t a bad thing but arguably leaves a question mark on their sound in terms of progression. A song, and video for that matter, such as “Cherry”, released in 2004, wouldn’t seem out of place on their latest effort. Perhaps, this is their strength. They know the type of experience they want to curate and they stick with it, paving their own lane. For me, standout tracks on this project are “Countach” and “Rome”. 

If you fancy a guitar driven, synth sprinkled, 45 minutes in your day, then Magnifique delivers, however, it may leave you thinking about how their sound might translate to fully fleshed out songs with some lyrics in there. Fortunately, Ratatat have lent their production skills and general vibe to a bunch of records over the past few years for your aural pleasure. Throw on Kid Cudi’s triple platinum selling, “Pursuit of Happiness” or turn your attention to their two fantastic remix projects, featuring the likes of Jay Z, Missy Elliot and Notorious B.I.G. You can find tour information, superb videos and merchandise from the band at ratatatmusic.com.

Ratatat - Cream on Chrome

Kid Cudi ft. MGMT - Pursuit of Happiness - Produced by Ratatat