A Ratatat on Your Door

Peter Rosewarne

New York’s experimental electronic duo RATATAT are not new. Establishing themselves firmly in the music scene for the last nine years, Ratatat have built a rapport and toured with the likes of Interpol, Björk, Daft Punk and Cansei de Ser Sexy. They’ve released three albums and an array of reputable remixes (check out how much they amplify the energy of Björk’s Wanderlust).

Every time they release something they take a progressive step forward. Last year’s release LP3 saw them move beyond the synthesizer and guitar and introduce instruments like organs, harpsichords and even a mellotron. This playful process is something Ratatat plan to continue, as Evan Mast, the producer and synthesizer-playing side of the duo explains. “There are a lot of instruments I’d still like to use. I like to get really unfamiliar stuff around because when you’ve centred on guitar and keyboard for so long you’ve developed all these habits. Picking up an instrument that I have no idea how to play forces me to think differently about melodies and chords.”

The focus on playing around with different instruments may stem from the simple fact that Ratatat are an instrumental band. Though initially Evan had attempted to write songs with vocals he found that he and bandmate Mike Stroud were more comfortable with the instrumental. Given their love of remixing, particularly hip hop, would they ever consider guest vocals on future albums?

“I’m interested in working with rappers and vocalists,” Evan reveals, “but I think probably not on our own records. I don’t want to be one of those producer bands that just add a different guest on every song. I would find that style of compilation album pretty uninteresting.” Ratatat won’t shy away from collaborations though, and have recently played live sets with rapper, Despot.

Ratatat’s success sees them touring a LOT over the next few months in numerous venues across the United States, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia. “[The tour to Australia is] going to be different than the last couple of trips,” Evan considers. “We’re playing these regional shows and festivals outside the major cities. Every time we’ve been there it’s always just been for the major cities. We’re also going to have a couple of days off. Usually it’s show, show, show and we don’t get any time off. I’ve heard so much about the beaches and the Great Barrier Reef.”

While Ratatat love the, er, liveliness of performing live, Evan admits they have a propensity for the studio. “Generally we prefer recording and writing to touring. They’re both fun and completely different experiences but the feeling of creating something new from the ground up, that’s my favourite thing about music.”

With their fourth album on the way Ratatat’s future is as promising as the past has been and while they continue broadening their musical horizon, the positive response to their live act continues to mount. Despite his preference for the studio Evan’s excitement from one of his first big events is undeniable. “I never went to any festivals growing up. The first big festival we played was Coachella. That was awesome cause we’d never been in an environment like that. Everything was coming together at one time. There was this massive audience; it was a really good response! It was a good day…”


Ratatat will be performing at ANU Bar on Sunday May 10 supported by Regurgitator’s Quan. Tickets for this 18+ event are available through Oztix at www.oztix.com.au

Björk - Wanderlust (Ratatat Remix)

Ratatat - Imperials

Un-Origin-al: Wolverine

***Spoiler Alert***

It can easily be said that the X-Men franchise is worth a good flogging. Over many years the comics have seen changing writers for the better and the worse. It wasn’t going to be long before someone made a film or three about it; Bryan Singer did a fine job of the first two, and even Brett Ratner’s dependence on direction over dialogue took the characters in new directions in the third.

So what character development can we expect when watching X-Men Origins – Wolverine? The highest expectation I had was none and I was still disappointed. Director Gavin Hood manages to not only bore us with predictable and clichéd scenes (check out the lovely old couple on the farm helping Wolverine “discover himself” by making sweeping assumptions in less than a few minutes) but he also ignores character histories patiently strengthened over the years. Apart from Wolverine’s obvious and overplayed interest in his boring wife/fiancé/who cares, you’ll find yourself wondering what each character’s motivation is, if you are interested enough to consider it (which is unlikely). Why, for example, does Sabertooth keep switching between siding with the “baddies” and siding with Wolverine? The only answer I can come up with is that it’s more convenient that way. Just when Wolverine’s chips are down fighting Deadpool, Sabertooth jumps in to help, when only minutes earlier he was trying to kill Wolverine’s love interest.

Hood manipulates the characters and the “story” to tailor the fight scenes (which are the only highlight of the film). He wants a scene with Wolverine and Sabertooth fighting side by side (seemingly somewhat reconciled but maybe not and who cares because we’re all confused) so he does it without stopping to consider why.
I suspect that for Hood directing is like playing a game of Sims. He’s not interested in how characters make their choices but in what they can do. And even then his mind has its limitations with many of the characters displaying one-trick pony blows.

Wolverine at times is so bad, in fact, that it is almost laughable. The film opens with a predictable “Noooo!!!” scene and is later closed off hastily with a sickly paedophilic-looking Dr Xavier loading trusting mutant kids (including a ditzy carefree Emma Frost) aboard his ship, which has appeared out of nowhere for no reason for the first time.

The sloppy film adds no insight into the comic series, nor does it promote the epic mythology which has grown since the comics began. This is a figurine movie. It looks pretty; there are some “awesome” action scenes and cameos from just about every X-Men character ever that you know, none of which contribute to Wolverine’s actual past. Hood’s unfocussed and lazy approach might get him more dollars thanks to apt marketing but this film serves no purpose to the past, present or future of X-Men.

If you’d like to see some proper character, plot and story development I highly recommend the Astonishing X-Men comics written by Joss Whedon (and now collected in book form).
Unlike Hood, Whedon selects only characters which serve a purpose to the story and develops them by pushing them to their limits. Of particular interest is his focus on Kitty Pryde whose seemingly simple ability to walk through walls is given a much broader level of importance. And the lines are witty and character focussed.



While it might not be fair to compare these X-Men stories across two different mediums I would sooner recommend time spent reading comics with substance and humour than watching a dull pointless film.
Check out the Astonishing X-Men series and avoid Wolverine unless you’re hoping to see some special effects.