Confessions: Parts 1 and 11

Super Tuesday is over. And I have a Super Wednesday hang over. Yesterday I voted and I don't think I've ever felt so excited to do so. However, I can't deny that a part of me felt a little disappointed. I half-expected some fanfare and hurrah when I submitted my ballot to the giant ballot-eating machine. I half-expected, half-hoped that I would be interrogated as part of an exit poll. I wanted to be interviewed by NPR. I wanted them to ask me who I voted for and why. Even UPN or TF1 would have sufficed. And yet nothing. I made some marks on a paper and walked out of the place. A part of me is also suspicious that anything actually happens. Perhaps it is all faked? Maybe the Super Bowl too. It's just this grand theatrical performance and there's no way to know--but then I might as well question everything. So I'll go on telling myself that my vote did count.



Ever since Ratatat debuted onto the scene with their self-titled album, I was a lukewarm supporter. Reminiscent of the old Daft Punk age, not repetitive or funky, but freshly mechanic and aerodynamic. Often when a band's debut makes everyone go "It sounds exactly like [other band]!" by their sophomore album, said group will have developed their own distinct sound. Such is the case for Ratatat who has shifted ways since then. This time they've put out a hip-hop album and it can be downloaded for free on their site. The following song, probably untitled, isn't a departure from their early stuff by any means, but it doesn't strike me as Daft Punkish at all. Like their 2003 single, "Seventeen Years," it contains the precise synthetic-guitars and progresses like a kind of basketball court hip-hop song. But this "One," with its organs directing the score and the acute piano tapping, sounds more soulful compared to their previous stuff. Anyway, despite all the power chords, I tend to find their songs very calming.

RATATAT - One

The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health (Ratatat Remix)