LP4

LP4 is a peculiarly inconclusive record. On the one hand, it does incorporate interesting new textures into the Brooklyn duo's music: a string section supplies swooping textures here and there, and unexpected instruments like mandolin, sitar, harpsichord and that '70s classic rock staple the talkbox (think Peter Frampton or Joe Walsh) crop up amidst the familiar fuzz guitar and dub-heavy bass. For full obscurantist-geek cred, not only do Evan Mast and Mike Stroud incorporate samples from Terence Malick's beloved cult movie Days of Heaven, they actually tracked down the movie's co-star Linda Manz to provide bits of nonsensical, out of context dialogue here and there. But as a whole LP4 isn't as ambitious or forward-looking as 2008's LP3, which is a far richer and more varied listen. (As the title indicates, the basic tracks for this LP were recorded during the same sessions as its predecessor.) And troublingly, Ratatat are starting to repeat themselves a bit: the dive-bomb hooks and clickity-clickity beats of "Mandy" sound a little too much like those on "Lex," the swaggering dance-punk groove that anchored 2006's Classics.