First of all, I must confess with shame that I have heard and read a lot about RATATÖSKA, but I have never been to a gig. And this, despite good friends highly recommending the band to me. Now I finally have a first record in hand, which is only a maxi-CD, but still. Perhaps it's like with drugs; one should taste first before diving in with both hands.
The disc contains three songs, along with the title track in an instrumental version and the video for the title track. The record is released just like it used to be when CD sales were still good, and many bands marketed their singles this way.
Now RATATÖSKA is doing just that. Does this indicate megalomania or a belief that they are good?
Well, the band is definitely good!
The title track is a hit. That simply has to be said. The band mixes ska, offbeat, reggae, dancehall, rock, and pop melodies with incredible ease. The result is a mixture that naturally also reminds one of Seeed or Peter Fox, but probably every band that makes this sound gets compared to the mentioned artists. Well, that's just how it is when a band has made a genre commercially successful. In any case, the song “Antrieb” is so good that you can listen to it repeatedly, turning the volume knob further to the right and really getting into it in the living room.
Song number 2, which has the lovely name “Rumpelrock,” keeps you dancing nicely. Here, a few hip-hop elements come into play, giving the song a good punch. Lyrically, the band processes their sound with a nice self-critical edge, but still encourages dancing and rocking.
Number 3, “Sambanita,” is a samba song that, typical of RATATÖSKA, also moves forward nicely and makes you shake your booty while sipping on an ice-cold mojito, as the world slowly transforms into the most beautiful Caribbean beach you can imagine. I wouldn't be surprised if Bacardi eventually bought the song for an advertisement, although Havana Club would of course be more politically correct. Cuba Si!
With this maxi, RATATÖSKA not only provide drive, but they also conjure a bit of happiness and carefree spirit into this world with their music. Keep it up!
