LEX
Ratatat
Classics
XL : 2006
[Pre-Order It]

SEVENTEEN YEARS
Ratatat
Ratatat
XL : 2004
[Buy It]

In some circles, "derivative" is just about the worst insult you can hurl at a band. Usually, it means that "this band vaguely resembles another band that is very close to my heart, and this infringement requires that I respond with the utmost invective in order to prop up the artificial sense of singularity I've erected around said band." Or something to that effect. I never thought that Interpol, for instance, actually sounded that much like Joy Division -- but people who did and rejected Interpol on those grounds just perplexed me. Especially in cases where the cherished band is defunct, with no chance of ever releasing any more music, wouldn't you be stoked for a new band to carry on that legacy and make more music resembling the music you love?

Ratatat's sui generis transduction of stadium rock to neon-tinted electro-hop is difficult to perceive as derivative. Nevertheless, their upcoming sophomore LP, Classics, finds them ripping off themselves. I'm not talking about just continuing down the path they'd already established. I'm talking about "Lex", which is basically a bald-faced reshuffling of the formula that made "Seventeen Years" from their first album such an insane banger. Wailing, heavily processed guitars pinwheeling over rigid drums? Check. Splashy/fluttery percussive embellishments? Uh-huh. Fat, buzzed-out bass whooshes? Yup. Concise, toothy breakdowns, and mellow atmospheric sections to contrast the overarching stomp? Check check. The similarities are remarkable, and cynics will gripe, but I couldn't be more stoked about it. Having listened to "Seventeen Years" hundreds of times, I'm grateful for "Seventeen Years" redux. Just because all rollercoasters are inherently similar doesn't dull the thrill of riding more than one, right?