“Bare Feast” – Ratatat

Mike Stroud & Evan Mast

I love this Electronica duo, and “Bare Feast” is only one of many which I believes their best work. These two guys have found significant success in only a few short years, with their Remixes Vol. I & II gaining notoriety from several mainstream artists. Starting out recording & editing in Mike’s apartment in Brooklyn, NY in 2004, they’ve quickly found critical acclaim, touring with and opening for such artists as Björk, The Killers, Daft Punk, and Interpol. I spent around two months listening to their works exclusively when I first listened to them and nothing else. They resemble pioneers of new-age composing; with lyric-less instrumental songs, each one with an atmosphere of the ethereal. The band is probably an acquired taste, because if you listen waiting for a simple catch-phrase chorus then you’ll be sorely disappointed. Their success lies in being able to sculpt a Smörgåsbord of tracks, yet with each one being catchy, keeping you whistling it hours later. Yet with no vocals, (apart from the infamous recorded lines in “Seventeen Years”) you’ll be singing a melody coerced out of one of their simple or obscure instruments, whether it be bass, synthesizer, keyboard or guitar distorted with an excessively large amount of pedals. Seeing them live is an experience in itself, first of all you notice the crowd is a little different; longer hair and some people’s eyes a bit dilated and scattered. When I saw them at Big Day Out in Jan, 2011; Mike just saunters out with a beer in hand, guitar in the other and they both just grin out the crowd like fools who won the lottery. Fuck, they are so talented though. I mean 4 or 5 songs in, Mike was using the beer to shred out the chords rather than using a pick like a loser. “Bare Feast” is masterful; immediately you’re faced with almost Arabian guitar scrambling, with distorted crackling rumbling in the background and perfectly, the sound of swaying keyboard notes transitioning each chord in and out like butter. If you’re looking for a shortcut to their best songs (in my opinion) out of their vast array of tracks, I’d recommend “Loud Pipes”, “Mirando” (with it’s incredible guitar solo at the end), “Party with Children” and “Nostrand”, which actually might be on-par with ‘Bare Feast’.