If you haven’t checked in with Ratatat since their debut in 2004, you’ll be reassured – or nonplussed – to hear that not much has changed in the interim. After a slight detour on their last two records, which attempted to diversify their sound by introducing new instruments and global influences, this fifth album pares it back to the basics: solid instrumental tracks layered with spacey effects and squealing guitars. The urge to sound up to date on tracks such as Cream on Chrome is outweighed by retro impulses – I Will Return is a cover of the 1971 Springwater soft-rock hit. There is some charm in the Brooklyn duo’s method but, after five albums, it’s running thin.
