Ratatat doesn’t fit cleanly into any broad musical categorizations; they largely exist alongside bands like Phantogram in some no-man’s land between the opposing worlds of electronic and guitar-rock.
While Ratatat may elude easy genre-assignment, this fact does not at all detract from their live show, as evidenced at the Orpheum last Friday night.
Amid fog and visuals, Evan Mast and Mike Stroud emerged on stage at 10:15 p.m. For the next 90 minutes, the duo marched through most of their discography.
It didn’t take long before Ratatat played their most ubiquitous song — one that even your mother likely knows — “Loud Pipes.” The impossible catchiness combined with the extravagant light show made it feel like I was hearing this track for the first time.
Aside from “Loud Pipes,” songs from the band’s latest album, Magnifique, shone the brightest. Lead single “Cream on Chrome” was the strongest. “Nightclub Amnesia” had the most exhilarating moment of the show when, after an extended lull, it instantly swelled, leaving the crowd jarred and amazed.
Had the music not been as good as it was, the light show easily could have been considered the highlight of the show.
Whether it was the piercing, solitary lasers during “Pricks of Brightness,” the blanketing, solid beams during “Grape Juice City” or the chaotic deluge of lights during many other songs, the lights made the show a total sensory experience. Seeing audience members looking back to see the product of the lights on the back walls was a comically frequent occurrence.
That’s not even covering the on-screen visuals that matched the lights in adding to the show. With heavy emphasis on things like ancient busts, movie clips, things blowing up and sparks, the imagery was fresh and pleasant to watch.
When not watching the on-screen visuals, it was hard not to focus on guitarist Mike Stroud. Stroud played the part of the unabashed rock star of the duo, often doing Neo-inspired limbo moves, holding his guitar up to the crowd or just doing a standard power stance during a riff.
Whether it’s on purpose or not, Stroud seems to have a knack for positioning himself in front of the projection screen to create a dramatic, imposing silhouette on the screen.
One of the worst parts of the show, however, was inevitable yet still disappointing: the presence of backing tracks.
Even though Stroud and Mast were constantly shifting between guitars, synths, percussion and even a steel guitar, there is still only so much sound two guys can make. It’s hard to imagine why musicians of their profile would not invest in a band to produce the sounds otherwise played on a laptop.
A moment near the end of the show illustrated, that while putting on an impressive show, it’s hard to fall head over heels for Ratatat’s live performance. In the middle of a song, while both members were transitioning from their instruments to two drums near the front of the stage, neither were playing any instrument yet the song (thanks to the backing track) kept going.
It could be old-fashioned, but it’s a little disappointing to go to a show where the act is only making some of the sound coming from the speakers.
Despite this gripe, Ratatat put on a solid, enjoyable show. Their songs did not lose a bit of sharpness or punch live, and in combination with the visual aspect of the show it formed a complete sensory experience.
