For this week’s FUNKY FRESH FRIDAY commentary, as some Dorks like to call it, I’m gonna talk about the latest Ratatat album, Magnifique, which came out back in 2015 when things were dandy and we still had Obama to call daddy. I mean President… Why won’t you come back Daddy ‘Bama… why’d you leeeaaaavvvve me…? Whether you’re going on a 50-mile bike ride, finding a breakbeat, pretending you’re a super rapstar from the ‘hood, or just trying to fap for 15 min… Ratatat has got you covered with their ridiculous ability to create hip hop beats. Complete with tensely insane guitar riffs on the come up and soothingly hypnotic sounds on the comedown.
Since Magnifique is basically devoid of lyrics, as far as I know, I will be interpreting the feelings the song gives me and thus give a reason why a song was named something. We’re getting real creative here. Really. Doesn’t take like 2 seconds to come up with a reason for a name. Nah… it takes years… years and years of sweet creative bullshittery. And also… also, that sweet 300 words minimum needs to be met so… shit’s about to get REAL creative. Just kidding, I already hit like 190 words so it’s chill. Gonna be a real asshole with my creations here.
This is the cover art for the album ‘Magnifique’ by the artist Ratatat.
The album art is a collage of human heads in black and white. Uh… yeah. I assume Ratatat formulated a metaphorical list of people they found inspiration, such as authors of books or characters in movies or people they interact with often, and then decided to have their pictures drawn into a single portrait. As such, those following songs in the album are a compilation of feelings brought about by the faces seen on the album cover art. Or it’s some kind of well-known drawing that they decided to slap on their front to be all hipster. But I doubt it. I’m just gonna assume these guys, Mike Stround on the babe-ly guitar riffs and Evan Mast with the hypnotic bass lines, are dudes (I apologize for my Californian tongue) from the East Coast’s Brooklyn that strive to be authentic and non-phonies, as they say.
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“Intro” – Starting with some static windup and what seems to be record scratching, the album is opened by a whimsical piano accompanied by a twangy guitar riff. As if to say, “Yo, check us out. Not only are we versed in classical music like EVERYBODY else in the production game, we also make sweet electric rock. Listen to us, for we are Magnifique.
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“Cream on Chrome” – Amazing. I mean Magnifique. Such a beautiful yet poignant title for a sexy song. The bass comes in real casual to do the whole “I’m taking you on a journey… to cream yourself land.” That “cream” is them sexy sexy, oh God have mercy on my unworthy ears, guitar sounds on top of them real wonky/modulated electronic sounds such as the twinkly fade at about 00:30. The first instance of sexual advance by that creamy guitar riff is at about 00:48 for about 12 seconds and stops while some chrome comes in at 1:00 to slow down the climax just a bit. Though maybe they are just saying the Cream is the guitar riffs and the Chrome is the bass strings ‘cause both strings just go off at about 2:38 where the guitar busts the creamiest of sounds on top of that real chilly chromified bass line. And during that whole fiasco, at 2:50, vocal sounds modulated to sound almost like a trumpet comes in. The whole sexual encounter lasts until the sudden noise drop at 3:54. Some static, as if from the tele comes in and a lower pitched voice says something about “I always thought it was pretty cool and then the channel buzzes out to another where something like elevator xylophones and flutes come in accompanied by a silly laugh then it changes again into something more classical like from a violin… possibly leading into the next song?
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“Magnifique” – Oh yeah, “Cream on Chrome” was definitely leading into this song. You could barely even call it subtle. The intro violins are calming and the accompanying guitar doesn’t deviate from that sound. A sound resembling an angelic vocal choir can be heard from behind the soft violin and guitars. At 00:23 the percussion comes in with the bass guitar and piano but they don’t overwhelm the calm setting, though they do make it more lively. At 1:00, the guitar takes a bit of a solo accompanied by those angelic vocal-like sounds while the rest of the sounds take a bit of a break. The arrangement of sounds doesn’t try too hard to be different, instead, the sounds only seek to boost each other as if they were all echoing one another. Perhaps, wonderful creations come from mutual guidance and so a balanced mind seeking harmony may have been the origin of “Magnifique.”
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“Abrasive” – Without evening listening to the song, I just assume it’s supposed to contrast “Magnifique” by seeking no harmonious union. Although talking about non-harmony is a little awkward in music as most songs seek and strive for harmony. I mean… is that even possible or is that contradiction too wack to be possible as defined by the human mind? I suppose the abrasion here could just be from unlikely combinations of individual sounds, yet the overall sound is still pleasing. Or perhaps they took sampled “some nails on a chalkboard” and modulated the hell out of it to sound less… deadly or “Abrasive.” Nope, the song is classic Ratatat sexy, and the only thing that is possibly abrasive is the volume intensity that seems to increase at around 00:58… or perhaps it’s the amped wild electric guitars on top of the rhythmic basslines… but that’s like every Ratatat song… or rock song. Yes, so rock is abrasive in general… Or is it referring to the sudden chill out minute that starts at 2:40 that gets flipped on its head and piledriven at 3:40? Or “Abrasive” could just be referring to its overall intense tone. Regardless, shout out to the sexy guitar at 1:39. Wow. Favorite.
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“Countach” – Heavy “wop wops” immediately start the song with some heavily modulated strums to come in to contrast in pitch. After some fast pacing set by the percussion, a vast amount of electronic electric guitar sounds is layered by one another in snippets to create a seemingly simple symphony of sexual proportions. The layers build up to 1:39 which seems to be when a longer guitar riff plays, as if combining all the individual riffs from before. The instrumental ends at around 2:20 a fading of the modulated strum that accompanied the song’s beginning “wop wops” and a few seconds later some lo-fi static comes in and what seems to be a person yelling “arrgghh” starts transitioning into a bouncy “boing” sounds and then a “bing” sound, like the airplane seatbelt ding, and what seems like a person asking for the passengers’ attention only to finally have the song end in more static noise. This here ends with seems like someone going through adjusting the analog antenna for the television. Welp, assuming the changing of channels represents finding a mutual frequency that allows communication, the mingling of the multitude of individual guitar riffs also create a dialogue, thus to show mutual understanding the longer guitar riff finally plays its reiteration that combines the shorter riffs. Communication seems to be an art practiced often when individual beings make contact… or “Countach”? I guess in some languages the letters ‘ch’ represent a hard ‘k’ sound but does ‘coun’ reference numbers? Like as in phone numbers? If I try just a little harder, I could lead us to the conclusion that this song is just simply about sex or if I try harder, I could make it about Aliens. Ahhh, simply Magnifique. True art allows more art to blossom. Or at times, wither in the manure… but in the presence of art, nonetheless. Alright, I’m confusing myself. This song is dank. There, straightforward. Or is it? The song, “Countach” is a good song, worth listening because it allows many interpretations from even a single individual. There.
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“Drift” – It feels like I’m flying. Over the ocean. But more like floating over the waves but barely touching the water… as if I were dense enough to only float between air and water endlessly. So I’m just drifting between the borders of two worlds, air, and sea, that are so close, yet so different and I am a kinsmen to neither, though we are from the very same star. Am I on a tropical island? Or am I just really fucking high? Definitely, recommend blazing up to this one. Just drift baby. Or maybe just drive down the open freeway at night. Also, th20-secondond sample of music at the end of the song that starts at 3:03 is amazing. It’s as if you were being transported into another worldly dimension yet it’s still a chill one where people are just Drifting and the music is simply Magnifique.
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“Pricks of Brightness” – Ummm… I assume that the dudes of Ratatat, are referring to the holes in their brains, ‘cause they do drugs, which have left paths for the most beautiful ideas in music to approach them and thus allowing them to create sounds of Magnifique. Yup. But nah, it’s probably referencing the pricking of the guitar strings. Each prick is resounding and its own beautiful note to be enjoyed. The song seems to avoid strumming… but yet again, that seems to be Ratatat musical style… They like pricking… which is sexy as hell… so AYYYY. Perhaps, a part of the Magnifique of this album is that they are celebrating their past 4 plus albums with this album. The album is like a dive into what they think are the best parts about their own music.
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“Nightclub Amnesia” – Yeah, heavily modulated sounds accompanied by a heavy as fuck bass kick… REAL Nightclub like… Not that I’ve ever been to a night club so I actually have no idea what it sounds like it there. Is it just really loud bangers in there? Oy, I get the whole Amneisia thing though, Ratatat added in some real static guitar sounds in the beginning but throughout the song, they replace them with slightly less grungy sounds. The sounds become more Ratatat-esque and reminiscent of their usual work; it’s as if the duo were dazed by the nightclub music and now they have come to remember their own music and style as they play out this work of art here. However, the song seems to end with a ding and fadeout followed by the changing channel motif which comes with what I think is two distinct songs, different from the main part of Nightclub Amnesia. The ending songs seem similar to Ratatat’s usual style and thus supports the idea that the Ratatat was heavily influenced by the “lit” scene but have used that as inspiration to create their own take of what the Nightclub could entail… at least musically.
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“Cold Fingers” – The tambourine reminds me of a relaxed rhythm and thus maybe a stroll through the park on the way home, however the erratic guitar sounds are more similar to the trembling of hands in the shivering cold. Perhaps the Cold Fingers elude to the short but invigorating ice cold showers after a workout? Or is this referring to the morality of labor laws not supplying workers with mittens? Is it that cold in the North East? I just know that song sounds basically like classic Ratatat just with a faster pace than usual… as if they were trying to finish the song as fast as possible. “Hurry and get on, it’s cold.”
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“Supreme” – The Hawaiian sounds are reminiscent of the SpongeBob SquarePants show’s soundtrack, but the guitar sounds are distinctly sexy like Ratatat. This song seems to create a sense of melancholy or elation. It’s as if Ratatat have found Nirvana or perhaps reached a peak to their self-fulfillment. It’s as if the following days don’t quite matter as long as they are wonderfully beautiful as the sounds of the bird’s chirping by the window. A wonderful song akin to Drift… drugs definitely make this one even better. The song however ends and there are two static sounds again only it seems you are brought out into another yet another world. The first seems to be country folk pricking and the latter sounds like some dude doing a battle cry.
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“Rome” – Boom, I guess the Romans were known for their ability to unify especially by military force. A lot of people, mostly Americans as far as I know, like to compare United States’ might to that of the Romans, but they didn’t exactly end very well… So, is it actually a good idea to compare the two? I suppose some want that exact thought to bring some negative feedback that allows the US to overcome the mistakes of the past and create a brighter future. Though the combination of how the way the world seems and my own pessimism eludes to a perceived downfall. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about bacon. Is that an American thing or is that a fat ass thing? Are those two one and the same? Perhaps the beginning downbeat melody shows that Ratatat is also having contemplations about their country and their fatty bacon. But the impressive progression towards bring the tempo up and pitch up show the uphill grind that this country needs in order to change a low morale face into a “fuck yeah” face. They slow the progress a bit though towards the end but at 4:35 they bring it back up for one last push. Ah, to go out with a bang like the Romans… I guess it ain’t so bad. Or perhaps this song’s arrangement is just eluding to the beauty of Rome.
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“Primetime” – This is like elevator music… if elevator music were filled with sexy guitar sounds. I guess they’re trying to appeal to the masses… and by masses, I mean the old people that actually watch Primetime television… Yep… Primetime… everybody’s favorite time. Woo retirement~~~ I can’t wait to be so bored with life that I will enjoy primetime. Yup, primetime is retirement time. And the end of the sexy elevator music ends with a sudden change up to another kind of song with a seemingly gloomier electronic warp sounds. It’s as if the aliens are finally deciding to take me away. WARP ME AWAY.
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“I Will Return” – Ah, so the longing electric guitar sounds definitely bring up an emotional fare well. Though the songs seem to have some hope in it as evidenced by the title… This is not forever. They will come back. Oh, please make good on this promise. Don’t leave me like Daddy Bama. He had 8 years… but that’s due to legality reasons. YOU GUYS ARE MUSICIANS. DON’T QUIT TILL YOU’RE DEAD. Oh, how selfish of me… But how selfish of you for not sharing your music more often! RATATAT, it’s been 2 years! WHEN WILL THERE BE MORE FEELS TO BE BROUGHT UP BY YOUR ART? Also, the vocal “bah bah bahs” are awesome.
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“Outro” – Just a bunch of static sounds and that good ole’ Piano accompanied by the ending guitar riff and then the sound of the tape reel ending. “How you start Magnifique is how you end Magnifique.” It’s a cool outro but I probably won’t try to listen to it again. Ehh maybe a few more times. Tee-hee.
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The whole album is mixed up like the faces on the cover art… everything is just everywhere. Of course, there’s a sense of clean arrangement because Ratatat is made up of two GENIUS musicians, but besides that… the whole work is beautiful sound vomit but that’s what makes it Magnifique.
Despite this shitty review, this album is amazing.
