Ratatat: LP3

Some albums are direct in their style and feel. Others are what one would call “malleable in personality.” Ratatat’s new album and soundtrack to just about anything, LP3, is a collection of deep soundscapes augmented with simple and warm drum sounds. The rock n’ roll feel of 2006’s Classics and subsequent work is nearly absent, leaving behind a mellower collection of beats sounding more carefully produced than any of their previous releases. Depending on the context within which you hear this record, you’ll feel different about it every time, and perhaps even change your mind about whether it’s ornate background music or something to pick apart. Either way, the chameleon quality of LP3 will push you to think about where this sound, unlike so many predictable others, is going.