tunequest

In the past, I've taken issue with the tendency in some circles to lump Ratatat's music in with that of the 8-bit crowd. I can understand the temptation, what with the band's programmed, electronic beats, screaming guitars and ample keyboarding. But while their tones may sometimes sound similar to those produced by the Nintendo Entertainment System, their origins are much more organic. So it surprised me to ...

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I don't know how I missed it, but Ratatat quietly released Loud Pipes as the third single from Classics a couple months ago. The record is out on vinyl only and, in addition to the title track, it features three attractive and compelling b-sides: Loud Pipes (Outtakes). Bears only the slightest resemblance to its namesake. The beat and instrumentation are there, but otherwise, it's a whole other ...

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From the single Jenny Ondioline (1993). Also appears on the Oscillons from the Anti-Sun box set (2005). For nearly a decade now, Stereolab has been a consistent "A list" band in my library, but I've, more of than not, been more disposed toward the groop's laid-back, lounge-infused work. The band's early, fuzz-laden krautrock-inspired recordings generally don't strike me as much (though I do enjoy krautrock as ...

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From the album Rock Action (2001) I can't begin the to describe how awesome this song is, but it's worth noting that it made me completely fall in love with Mogwai. Clocking in a 9-and-a-half minutes, this song is epic. Not for any story it tells, but for how it makes you feel. This mostly instrumental piece of slow-burning segments of increasingly complex layers of post-rockian composition ...

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Anyone who's been around tunequest for a while surely knows of my fondness for The Polish Ambassador, the Earth's greatest half man, half cyborg, all electro-groovin' diplomat. Anyone who is new around here should get up to speed by reading my write-up of his debut album, Diplomatic Immunity. After posting that review, I sent a list of questions to the Ambassador, inquiring about his species, his adventures, ...

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The ringing in my ears serves as a reminder that I have permanently lost a portion of my hearing, but I'm telling you it is worth it. I just got home from Ratatat's show in midtown Atlanta and I have something to admit to you: Seeing Ratatat perform live is one of my favorite things in the world. This show marks the third time I've managed to ...

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So I was itching for something to do this evening, and inspired by WFMU's recent 10 Albums in 10 Minutes contest, I decided to cram the 45 minutes of Ratatat's self-titled debut album into a 60 second playing time. Here's the result. It's a pretty smooth overview: [audio:070329Ratatatin60secs.mp3]

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When I was in middle school, I became a big fan of the first few entries to the Mega Man series of games for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Game play was straight-forward. The stories were fairly one-dimensional Mega Man good; all others bad, but exciting. And each level, named for an element or mineral (Bubble Man, Heat Man, Air Man, etc), proved to be a ...

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One cold night, during the very cold December of 2000, I found myself at the original Handle Bar myspace warning in downtown Pensacola. Dilapidated doesn't even begin to describe the place, but its rundown condition gave it the perfect character to be a favored destination for the town's surprisingly robust hipster set, until it burned down in 2001. don't worry, the handle bar was rebuilt in ...

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