Classics

Brooklyn-based duo Ratatat’s second album sees them aiming for a less rambunctious strain of rocktronica, to winning effect. The big, boombox-friendly beats that womped through their debut are decelerated and spaced out into subtler, more dynamic drumlines on *Classics*, making for slick and unobtrusive dance rhythms. Funk (“Loud Pipes”), samples (check out the feral panther growls on “Wildcat”), and slick, zooming electric guitars (“Kennedy”) are all still here in abundance, just with a little more slow to their roll.

Expert programmers Evan Mast and Mike Stroud follow their self-titled debut with a more refined collection of indie electronica.

Classics lays down a consistently low-key groove that never draws attention to itself but which sustains a real sense of momentum.