Photos by David Rubene
It has been almost 5 years to the day since Ratatat came to Minneapolis, and they have been sorely missed. The band is currently touring their latest album Magnifique, but played music from all over their catalogue. Two large plexiglass panes joined the two onstage silhouettes that make up Ratatat on each side of the stage. The panes had stunningly clear images of parakeets (previously seen in the music video for Neckbrace), Roman and Greek busts, pineapples, and 8-armed babies. Sheets of lasers glazed just over the top of the crowd’s heads, submerging us into a realm of futuristic music. When the robot uprising inevitably happens, the music of Ratatat may be the only weapon we have. It sounds like it could have been written in binary code, but there is still something so human about it. It is the only thing that we robots and humans can relate to. While the robot armies are busy grooving to the oozing melodies we will be able to hack their mainframes and shut down their motherboards. The true genius of Ratatat comes from the notes they don’t play. We are not bombarded with overdone melodies and can appreciate every note the duo plays. The gaps are similar to a lag beat in the way they create anticipation and satisfaction when that flawlessly timed chord rings through. It makes your eyes roll to the back of your head, but you cannot look away for too long because the visuals of their show are too beautiful to miss. It was easy to see how much time and effort went into the music and lights. Each aspect was purposeful and calculated so when it was put together it was a work of art. That experience is something that could fit in a museum just as easily as it fits on a late night stage at a festival.
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Ratatat’s next show is on the 15th in Seattle. They are currently making their way west before eventually heading overseas to play in London, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland and Australia.
For more information check out their website at www.ratatatmusic.com.
