tunequest

For nearly as long as there's been an Internet, fans have been contributing to the nine inch nails experience. There's something about the music that seems to inspire a devotional following (probably has to do with expressions of angst, contempt and alienation wrapped appealing pop sensibilities). Youthful rebelliousness and antiestablishmentism runs deep through both camps. Indeed, the rise of nin and the net seems to have coincided perfectly with ...

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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 song. Kennedy (e-rock remix). ...

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This song is perhaps the greatest mystery in the entirety of my music collection. It's a fairly sophisticated remix of the song Twift Shoeblade from Mouse on Mars' third album Autoditacker (1997). The tempo is a little faster, the arrangement has a little more punch and it has been resequenced slightly. Not to snub the original at all, but I must say I pretty much prefer the remixed version. ...

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http://www.youtube.com/v/bM7tdWRkBp0 I was tempted to let this pass without comment, but it's just so intriguing. It's a mash up of the Beatles Come Together and Nine Inch Nails' Closer by DJ Zebra. The ending is a bit flubbed, but overall this is a very good combination. It's particularly noteworthy since both sources are rock songs and it's rare to see good rock mash ups. Because of the way most rock ...

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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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...here's the Ratatat remix of Shout Out Louds' The Comeback. I actually listened to it last weekend, but didn't hear anything half as interesting today, so consider it a retroactive song of the day. This mix illustrates perfectly what I love about Ratatat's remixing style. They're not content to just throw a house beat behind the song, or chop it up until it's unrecognizable. No, Mike and Evan take full ...

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Beck's song Where It's At took the world by storm in 1996, forever banishing the idea that he was a one hit wonder and showing that he was an innovative and exciting musician. Several singles of the song were released during the year, each featuring a different set of remixes (for a total of seven), including an infamously lame version by Oasis' Noel Gallagher. That's OK though, the Make Out ...

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It's a bit of a cosmic coincidence that I happen to be on a huge Ratatat kick right now and a new Ratatat bootleg has happened to suddenly surface around the net. It's titled 9 Beats and is apparently a rare look at the band's early/demo work. How early? It doesn't say, but it probably pre-dates their 2004 debut. The tracks on the album aren't songs per se. They're mostly ...

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Take for example this remix. Normally, I absolutely can not tolerate Missy Elliot. I just don't like her style. And her 2004 single I'm Really Hot was a completely egotistical crapfest which couldn't manage to display the slightest bit of talent or even a minisculey appealing hook. So it is a bit of a minor miracle that Ratatat manages to not only make the song listenable, but the duo actually ...

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