Ratatat

“I’ve been rappin’ for about seventeen years, ok? I don’t like my stuff anymore, I just kick it from my head, y’know what I’m sayin’? I can do that. No disrespect, but that’s how I am.�
Using rapper Young Churf’s words of revelation to introduce their first single “Seventeen Years,� Ratatat swings into the motion of this piece long before the spoken words are finished. A synthy mingling trembles in a minor key, flooding listening ears with unnerving anticipation. As the single note stretches out longer and longer, one desperately wonders – will it crescendo into a slow, melancholy saga or will the piece head toward a poetic haste of guitar work and lyrical vows? This song goes through multiple phases of extremities and covers a lot of ground during its life of four and a half minutes, winding up on an unexpected, yet suitable medium.
What ends this synthy tremor is the deep pang of a heavy bass drum followed by a strict beat that pounds a discernible cyclicity. The beat is then reinforced by dizzy, swooshing high-hats whose strikes come in regularly spaced pairs. The tempo establishes itself as a heavy, rapid motive that propels the song. Shortly after, the synthesizer reappears, stirring the beat with a dangling sound of sensation.
This formulaic episode comes to a close with the introduction of simple fragments of guitar that add yet another layer of complexity to the piece. A beauteous riff interrupts in a minor key, bringing about a conversation of disagreement between what go on to become the antagonist and protagonist of this story. The antagonist, a hushing drumbeat teaming with the fuzzy, low note of a synthesizer, is also aided with clashing cymbals on the offbeat. It butts into the spotlight obnoxiously, breaking up the circular melodies of the protagonist’s tone. At this point, an indiscernible attachment takes form as the two voices battle, intriguing the listener to keep on listening. While the two gleam in instrumentalism, yet another voice of a guitar juts in and takes over, and only the beeping synth rhythm is left in the background. The two separate guitars harmonize together in very close contact, signifying the better match of the protagonist with the new voice. The obsessively repetitive quality of high-strung, passionate rebuttals provides an ongoing climax that will hopefully reoccur later on as well. Sadly, it does not. They share the spotlight interchangeably while one goes off on a tangent of a solo ballad and the other keeps the melody. Continuing to flirt on top of the other polyrhythms, the aura ultimately coalesces in a powerful chorus.
The immensity of this harmonious moment is due to the way it evokes and arouses a listener’s spirits. The theatrical nature of the overlapping guitar vibrations is enhanced by the intensity and anxiety that are so prevalent in the tone. Constructive interference of simple notes plays a major role in the beautiful fusion of the two instrumental parts – the excited mood of the chorus gives the impression of a faster beat when in reality it stays on tempo. Poignant chords elude from the extremities of normalcy, creating sentiments never before associated with sound. The listener delves into the unknown and meanders, discovering new aspects of their inner selves. By becoming more acquainted with the inner being and mind, they become more aware of existence as a whole. Soul-awareness is induced, broadening the musical as well as living experience.
As the romantic duet swiftly ceases, the underlying beat still remains. A boppy reverberating guitar-strung note silences the two voices, descrescendoing into a new interlude. It feeds off a steady, clapping beat that grows in undertones as the measures progress. First, a thumping bass drum enters this almost sound-empty scene. A soft minor tone sets a faster rhythm, like a thumping heartbeat right after intense movement. The tune lingers for quite a while, teasing and leading the listener on about what exciting chapter will come next. Opportunities for the introduction of a new segment come and go, but the rhythm does not change. Two swaying notes trill back and forth, playing in a steady manner of shaky intermission. A core beat strikes in low throbs of bass guitar this time, accelerating the momentum. Then the swooshing high-hat and bass drum refocus the stance and bring it back to the original form of the previous interlude.
The segue into the new chapter is suave – keeping the clapping and drumming beats of the previous section, Ratatat takes away all other components and shifts the story in an entirely new direction. An alien sound far off in the distance appears, morphing the atmosphere into a gloom of blue shadows that are contradicted by the quick tempo of the beat. The moody obscurity creates a skeptic ambiance full of doubt, solitude, pity, hope, and anonymity. These somewhat contradictory elements provide recourse for the listener and allow for a spiritual interpretation that will suit just about anybody. “Seventeen Years� is full of emotion and motive, and compels its audience to act on their wants and desires, because after all, the song is itself full of passion and yearning.
The slow decline of this hazy milieu fades into residue, but only when the beat stops is it clear that the ballad is almost over. Since the beat supplies the foundation that keeps the piece intact, its cessation leaves no other medium for the melody to thrive on. The mysteriously sad tune dwindles in flute-like elongations, trembling from highs to lows, and eventually disappears from existence altogether.
The essence that drives this piece forward is romanticism and the miseries it holds. Pining, moody passion is brought to life in bursts of vivid crescendos. Battling voices that weigh down and wrap up the melodies also act as forces working against the ardent protagonist. Poetic riffs dominate the song for short periods of time but are backed up by fixed, powerful beats. This balanced, in-and-out practice of unique sound effects and instrumentals averts monotony and keeps the listener cued in. For every high-pitched, heavy measure there is a slow, deep one that stabilizes the overall tenure of the song. But what’s more, it captures a listener’s full attention and draws them into the mindset of the melody, allowing them to sense the feelings that it so strongly conveys. As a result, the listener is able to develop an attachment to “Seventeen Years,� as well as other songs by Ratatat, by associating personal meanings they create for themselves.
Ratatat’s role in providing meaning is big and small at the same time. Both members admit that most of their songs come from improvised séances in which they choose what sounds best to them. They care more about what the song’s melody is to them than how it complies with others. In other words, they target no particular audience, which is why their works attract such a wide range of listeners. Maybe this is what the phrase “I just kick it from my head� implies – that the simplicity of sounding out the mind’s view yields much better results that intentionally trying to embed meaning. Fortunately, it did not take Ratatat seventeen years to figure this out.
Interpretation is key. With the absence of lyrics, “Seventeen Years� is not limited to a single meaning or message – Ratatat constructs a world of endless possibilities that their listeners are free to roam. It is a story, a journey, and a short-lived memory. Whether it contains heartbreak, content satisfaction, or hyper-active anxiety, it is what it is: an intense ballad of perception.