Although often shadowed out by happy-tappy xylophone and gleeful smiles, Los Campesinos! certainly have a sensitive side. ‘The Sea…’ commences with melancholic, plucked chords, the building of strings, akin to Why? more than anything and once it’s finished, you want to hear more of this “side”, but the only reference there is this very song. The forthcoming third LC! record might just expose more than we expected it to…
Gareth Campesinos!’s lyrics also have their moments, but here almost every single line can be plucked out and analysed on its own, chanted on its own, with its own meaning and context. And whilst this is without doubt a song about a girl, it’s by no means typical. Outstanding words include “You can never kiss a Tory boy without wanting to cut off your tongue” and “She was always way too pretty for me to believe a single word she said”. It tells a story unlike any other song in their catalogue, and bar the slightly odd-fitting chorus which sees the band retreating to their old, shout-quite-loud ways, is their most inventive work to date.
(JM)
mp3: The Sea Is A Good Place To Think About The Future
RELEASES THIS WEEK – 7th July
words: Jamie Milton
For the 7th July, we’ve got a game, we’ve got a set and we’ve got a match. Your trip down to the record store will almost be exciting as yesterday’s Wimbledon final. Similar to constantly changing your mind about who you wanted to win, you’ll be tilting your head and your thoughts from one record to the other. We’ve got three eight out of ten albums, the choice is up to you.
the three finalists:
Albert Hammond Jr. – ¿Cómo Te Llama?
This is the time in which Julian Casablancas will be biting his nails and finally opening the songbook once more. Albert Hammond Jr. has never put down his intentions with the Strokes in interviews but if there was ever a way to announce what he prioritises more in his music, ‘¿Cómo Te Llama?’ is the verdict. What we have in this album is thirteen tracks – a tiring listen then, surely? Not once you adjust to things. When you have an opener has addictive as ‘Bargain Of A Century’ you’re bound to be drawn in.
8/10
Beck – Modern Guilt
Although this transformation may not be as striking as PJ Harvey’s last year, Beck (with Brian Burton’s help) has got us all interested again. He’s thrown the infectious yet precocious hooks of ‘The Information’ into the fire and has delivered us a Scientology-reference free beast of a record. Darker, more moving and more instantaneous (how can it not be, clocking in a half an hour?). See the closer ‘Volcano’, the environmental-context crammed ‘Gamma Ray’ and the reverb-heavy, beautifully produced ‘Replica’ for kicks.
8/10 (review to follow)
Ratatat – LP3
Enough has been said about this band and this record on our blog but for one final time I guess, here’s some praise we’ve been lugging around with us until this moment…’LP3′ is a fascinating third effort from the duo. When you already crave a new discovery trail after a single listen, you know they’ve done something good. ‘LP3′ is a less obnoxious follow-up and a more diverse follow-up, they’ve clearly struck gold.
8/10
you may also be interested in:
Alkaline Trio – Agony & Irony
Black Kids – Partie Traumatic
Corrections – Repeat After Me
Five O Clock Heroes – Speak Your Language
PLAY: Beck – Replica [Buy 'Modern Guilt']
PLAY: Albert Hammond, Jr. – Borrowed Time [Buy '¿Cómo Te Llama?']
A Melting Pot Of Classics – Ratatat
words: Jamie Milton
originally for gigwise
When you learn about how one of your favourite albums was recorded, it’s hard not to enthuse about it all every time you mention the record. Take Bon Iver for example, rooted to the spot accompanied by the “cabin talk” that always has and always will surround his debut album ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’. Ratatat seem to have avoided that same this-is-why-the-album’s-so-good clause but Gigwise is finding it difficult to let things stay that way. ‘LP3’, as surprising as it is, is Ratatat’s third record. Its recording process involves spontaneity and a derelict old house in the West of New York.
That house set the foundations for Ratatat’s greatest piece of work so far, therefore we had to mention it when we caught up with one half of the duo, Evan Mast. They seem just as excitable as we are when talk of these “Old Soul studios” creeps up; Avoiding jargon talk about the exact details of the supposedly “isolated” location, Mast is more keen to tell Gigwise about how the magic happened. “We signed up for 40 days and 40 nights and it was just Mike and I in this big house for the duration of it”. Needless to say, there was some kind of abstract influence from the start. “We got super focused really quickly. The first day there we made ‘Dura’ and ‘Mi Viejo’ – two of the record’s most outstanding moments.
This rapid, quick-fire, spontaneous take on recording has been done successfully by the likes of R.E.M, Arctic Monkeys and many more to mention. On the other side of the spectrum, it can be the very reason why an act “loses it”. Mast agrees that it can sometimes be a matter of luck – “ I think those initial responses to a new environment can trigger some interesting ideas. It’s just a matter of finding the right spots.” The idea of recording ‘LP3’ in Old Soul wasn’t an organized process either, making it all the more interesting. “Initially we went up to old soul to help our friend Justin with his new White Flight album and we just really liked the place and got along well with ‘the Wolf’, the guy who owns the studio. He was going out of town for 2 months on tour, so we decided to rent the studio while he was gone.”
Those 2 months were all they needed. Surrounded by a realm of new instruments and new ideas, it all came together like a hand-clap. “It felt like we were racing to keep up with the ideas” recites Mast as he goes on to explain the short time-span for the recording; “with LP3 we were trusting our initial instincts a lot more than ever before” Ratatat clearly found their comfort spot. There’s a consistent bunch of running themes scattered across ‘LP3’, from Eastern European influence to addictive beats – the only element of the record not originating via. Old Soul. “We always write while we record. I’d made a stockpile of drum beats ahead of time, but that was it. We were touring in a van in Europe in February of 2007 and we had these long drives between shows…I was making a lot of beats on my laptop while we travelled.”
Old Soul can however, set itself apart as the only reason for this chunk of inspiration that found itself at the feet of the duo last year; “I’m not sure where the ideas came from. We weren’t really listening to much music while we were recording….I stopped answering my phone and checking my email for the most part and we just completely focused on the music.” Isolation wasn’t the only method – “We got into this amazing rhythm, this steady pace. It felt like when you’re riding a bike really fast and you switch into a high gear and your legs are suddenly moving half as fast but the bike just continues moving even faster.”
One running theme that’s remained from Ratatat’s debut right up to their latest is the impossible task of categorizing the Brooklyn two-piece. They remain incomparable to any other act – “without sounding arrogant” states Mast. Some may draw comparisons to Daft Punk, Holy Fuck or Animal Collective but that would simply be passed as lazy. Direct musical influence came from “Chemirani”, an Iranian drum trio introduced upon the band by studio-owner White Flight. That aside, it’s difficult to figure out what musical elements combine to make this genuine, original sound. “We weren’t really listening to much music while we were recording. Sometimes we’d watch music videos on tv while we ate dinner, but that was mostly really horrible stuff.”
Previous record ‘Classics’ isn’t on par with ‘LP3’ due to many factors, especially when it comes to atmosphere, despite its ability to excel past the latest record with dance-factor. ‘Classics’ told a different story to ‘LP3’, taking not two months, but two years to produce. The immediacy of ‘LP3’ is what makes it so special, and whether Ratatat can master the instantaneous process remains to be seen. For future projects though, Mast and his companion are keen to play the same hand. “now that we’ve tried it, I’m quite hooked on the idea of recording in studios”, Evan gets slightly carried away in his own thoughts – “I would love to record in another land sometime…overseas, on an island, in a forest, in New Zealand, with a Turkish string section,” but as obscure as these ideas appear on paper, no-one can instantly dismiss them to going through such a process.
Besides, if we weren’t aware of Old Soul and its direct influence on the duo, we’d all be playing guessing games of how it all came about to sound like such a unique, frantic, high-spirited record. But maybe you don’t need that sort of extravagancy when Old Soul is at your side….
PLAY: Ratatat – Dura
[Buy 'LP3']
12 (11) questions with…. #5/ Ratatat
words: Jamie Milton
Ratatat have been slowly causing a fuss in the musical expertee community. Third-record, aptly titled ‘LP3′ is on the brink of finding itself in all good record stores and all good people’s end of year lists – it’s their most instantaneous, interesting album to date and we got hold of one half of the duo, Evan Mast, to comment on how a simple meeting in an old New York house ended up in the short-spanned recording of their most impressive record to date.
-Why did you choose to mix an album in a studio for the first time ‘LP3′, was it simply more wealth to the resources or a desire to evolve the record in one way or another?
we’ve always talked about mixing our records in a proper studio. in the past we were just never able to find the right place to do it. our mixing process is pretty simple and straightforward though. all the decisions about arrangements are structure are made while we’re recording, so mixing for us is just about finalizing the sounds. getting everything situated properly. EQing, getting the levels right…
- Old Soul studios must have had a profound influence on the record. If you could, talk about the experience, did it change your perception of what sort of a record you’d like to make?
it was a great experience. everything just kind of fell into place. initially we went up to old soul to help our friend justin with his new WHITE FLIGHT album and we just really liked the place and got along well with the WOLF, the guy who owns the studio. he was going out of town for 2 months on tour, so we decided to rent the studio while he was gone. we signed up for 40 days and 40 nights and it was just mike and I in this big house for the duration of it. we got super focused really quickly. the first day there we made “dura” and “mi viejo”. i don’t think we’ve ever been so productive and worked so quickly before. it felt like we were racing to keep up with the ideas. its quite a contrast to classics which took about 2 years to make. it was like the whole process was condensed into this very intense short period of time. i’m really happy with how deep into we got. by the end of our time there the ideas were getting really strange.
- How do you intend to move ‘LP3′ onto the live stage, considering the multi-instrumentalist formation the record’s taken?
we’re still working that out. we’ve been talking about getting some more musicians to help us out. i’d love to get a good zarb player on board. i think mike and i will be doing a lot more instrument changes than we have in the past as well.
- What makes ‘LP3′ vary so much from your other two records?
i think the main difference is that songs are more immediate. we have a tendency to overcomplicate and over think tracks a lot of the time – with LP3 we were trusting our initial instincts a lot more than ever before.
- If approached, would you be willing for one of your songs to be used in the opening of a film sequence or an advert as it’s a common opinion that a lot of your music would be well suited towards that.
it all depends on the film or the ad.
- Was the writing process spontaneously done at Old Soul or did you enter the studio with a chunk of ideas?
we always write while we record. i had made a stockpile of drum beats ahead of time, but that was it. we were touring in a van in europe in february of 2007 and we had these long drives between shows, so i was making a lot of beats on my laptop while we travelled.
we didn’t have any plans ahead of going into the studio though. we’d just put on a beat and start throwing down ideas and start reacting to them and see where it goes. thats the only method that really seems to work for us.
- Why did this record take less time to conjure up than the other two?
we really isolated ourselves this time. i stopped answering my phone and checking my email for the most part and we just completely focused on the music. we got into this amazing rhythm, this steady pace. it felt like when you’re riding a bike really fast and you switch into a high gear and your legs are suddenly moving half as fast but the bike just continues moving even faster.
- Would you agree with many people’s opinion that you are “incomparable” to any other act, without sounding arrogant?!
yes… without sounding arrogant
- The record dabbles with several genres and also foreign sounds like a Spanish-European take on ‘Mi Viejo’. Did that come about via. the records you were listening to at the time?
i’m not sure where the ideas came from. we weren’t really listening to much music while we were recording. sometimes we’d watch music videos on tv while we ate dinner, but that was mostly really horrible stuff. we did get really into the j holiday track “bed”. thats a really amazing song. naked brothers band “if thats not love”… we were also listening to a lot of Chemirani, which is an Iranian drum trio that WHITE FLIGHT turned us onto
- A simple question, why the simple title to the album?
it rhymes
- Did Old Soul significantly progress your record and would you want to go back to a similar, inspirational scenario when recording future material?
now that we’ve tried it, i’m quite hooked on the idea of recording in studios. i would love to record in another land sometime…overseas, on an island, in a forest, in new zealand, with a turkish string section… i’m definitely up for trying something new. i think those inital responses to a new environment can trigger some interesting ideas. its just a matter of finding the right spots.
PLAY: Ratatat -Mi Viejo
[Buy 'LP3']
Album: Ratatat – LP3
words: Jamie Milton
(originally written for gigwise)
This is what happens when you put Mike Stroud and Evan Mast in a derelict, inspiring old house in New York – crammed full of extraordinary keyboard instruments Ratatat could only have previously dreamed of. If ever the words “progression” and “maturity” were made to describe music, they’d be mentioned next to every description of ‘LP3′ and if ever experimentation was pulled off instead of coming across as false and reckless, ‘LP3′ is the primary example.
The striking thing about ‘LP3′’s songs is that they’re all made for adverts or opening sequences of films. Audi, Orange Universal, you name it, will all be dialling Ratatat’s “important people” at XL when their ears first stumble across this record. But this classification of calling the songs advert music is anything but a dismissal. Imagine a cinematic beauty being accompanied by the glorious record opener ‘Shiller’ – it’d be somewhat breathtaking. Instead of letting the beauty of the album’s finer moments ruin themselves when you discover them in a BMW advert, allow them to be the background to your day-to-day life. The acoustic-led darling ‘Mi Vjejo’, with its obvious Spanish influence, can be your early morning and the most danceable number, ‘Shempi’ can be your night out. Let your days be dominated by ‘LP3′ blasting through your portable player’s headphones – you may suffer from the odd side effect of social deprivation but it’ll be more than worth it.
‘LP3′ is meant to be played on repeat, endlessly. You never tire of the shimmering, uplifting sounds that are produced – each number varying in depth and experimentation, there’s constantly a new layer of each song to be discovered on each passing listen. And that’s how the multi-instrumentalist stance the two-piece have taken has benefited them. Some fans may grow increasingly unsure of the lack of guitars, but it’s beneficiary in giving way to some of the more obscure ideas Ratatat have been urging to let loose since their self-titled debut. When the soaring guitars do enter however, they sound more required than ever before – there’s a place in every song for them and they consistently deliver the goods whether they come in the form of a piercing solo (‘Falcon Job’) or a subtle muted part (‘Imperials’).
Stroud and Mast previously worked best when attempting to make us dance but despite the fact that the more memorable moments on the album happen to have their feet tapping (‘Mumtaz Kahn’, ‘Shempi’), ‘LP3′ excels when it begins to reveal a more exclusive side of the band to the listener. Initially you expect opener ‘Shiller’ to explode at any moment but instead it’s covered in a thick, cinematic fog and even when the double-layered guitars step onto the scene, you’re far too carried away with the atmosphere that surrounds it all – it sets the standard for the rest of the record. A cleaner, more jaunty sound is released at the end of the album but even as the moody, eerie act regresses to give way for the more excitable ‘Gipsy Threat’ and ‘Black Heroes’, the likes of ‘Fylnn’ and ‘Imperials’ stay fresh in your mind because they expose a side of Ratatat that we’ve not yet witnessed- and it does the trick.
It’s near-impossible to pick out a weakness on the record. Sure, maybe the standard of songs isn’t anything overwhelming – nothing’s particularly perfect but when you look at the record as a whole-piece instead of analysing various single-tracks you discover a glorious realm of multiformity, consistency and sophistication. Ratatat have essentially matured and remain incomparable to any other act on the planet.
8.4
PLAY: Ratatat – Imperials
PLAY: Ratatat – Shiller
['LP3' is released on July 7th, Pre-order here]
MFM @ HYPEM
