Personnel: Claire Bryant (cello); Young Churf (harpsichord).

Additional personnel: Claire Bryant, Young Churf.

Recording information: Casa De Exitos, Brooklyn, NY (11/2003-03/2006); Pink Felt Studios, NY (11/2003-03/2006).

Ratatat established their eclectic take on instrumental rock on their 2004 self-titled debut. The follow-up, CLASSICS, released in 2006, improves on the band's intriguing mix of dancey, hip hop-influenced beats, stadium-sized guitars, burbling bass, swirling synths, and various instrumental exotica. Falling somewhere between post rock, electronica, prog rock, and indie rock, CLASSICS blends genres deftly, throwing in a wealth of musical ideas and just enough postmodern irony to keep things cheeky. Ratatat's giddy fusion has enabled them to play bills with acts as diverse as Interpol and Mouse on Mars; CLASSICS finds them honing their stylistic studio mix-mash to a fine art.