- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Outwardly it's a fun album, triumphant and full of majestic refrains and riffs... but there's still something in it,... that makes it somehow all very sad.
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Paste MagazineAchieves a slinky grandeur surpassing that of its terrific debut. [Sep 2006, p.75]
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While sometimes Classics sees the group straying from their conceptual center, it’s never without Ratatat’s unmistakable identity and indelible gentle humor.
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Ratatat never get as Daft funky or as outright punky as you’d want. But they never linger for too long in one place, and they throw more than enough cerebral curveballs to keep you on your musical toes.
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Laid back as it is, what Classics lacks is the force of purpose to overcome its target audience of hipster kids' aversion to--or limited ability for--dancing.
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For all the technology they bring to the table, Ratatat are soulful and savvy, putting everything in its right place and locking the listener in.
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There is nothing to dislike about Classics, but I get the feeling they're holding back.
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MagnetIt's very Art Of Noise circa 1991. [#73, p.104]
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Classics can testify just like Ratatat (2004) did, and there’s no shirking of moral duty to melody, but the “growth” between the two albums leaves the sophomore effort a bit of a chore.
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Classics is more varied in texture and tempo and tone than its predecessor. But aside from "Lex", a pretty obvious "Seventeen Years" rehash, and "Wildcat", which samples actual fucking panther roars, there are no curtain raisers, just a whole lot more suggestion.
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UrbThere's only so many times the melodic power chords of guitarist Mike Stroud can graze the quarantined beats of programmer Evan Mast before the combination begins to rust. [Sep 2006, p.142]
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A more indulgent but less fun record [than its predecessor].
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BlenderThis time they've vacuumed all the loose dirt out of the silicon chamber and left a low-funk environment. [Nov 2006, p.154]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 29 out of 33
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Mixed: 4 out of 33
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Negative: 0 out of 33
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jakewAug 27, 2006I also love it, fuck pitchfork
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nazatAug 25, 2006i love it fuck pitchfork
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LawrencePSep 4, 2006Pitchfork really needs to stop trying hard. This is a fun, exciting and funky ride.