Released: May 17, 2013
Daft Life/Colombia
The first thing you notice about the new Daft Punk record is the slight departure of the electronic dance music that embodied Daft Punk's earlier work on albums such as Homework (1997) and Discovery (2001), although those elements are still present. Instead, on Random Access Memories, the duo who brought us "One More Time" and "Around the World" bring in much more live instrumentation and go for a more guitar driven disco/funk feel. The title of this album even seems to hint a salute to the past and this era of music.
Right off the back, I am impressed with how well Daft Punk was able to bring in lovely melodies, contagious funk beats, and ultra-catchy and infectious choruses without getting redounded or losing an ounce of integrity. This record has plenty of variety, touching on genres such as jazz, prog-rock, funk, dance, and electronic without ever sounding scattered or "random." The pacing on this record is superb and I seldom found myself losing interest or attention at any point of this album.
I need to stress that this is in fact an ALBUM! In an era where the art of the album may have died off a bit in exchange for radio singles and people buying individual track on iTunes (or stealing), this record flows like an album should. It feels like a cohesive, all together work and not a collection of random songs. Daft punk puts everything around the central theme of a" blast from the past meeting the music from today". The record opens up and closes, with it's climaxes and it's falling actions, just like great records should.
The opener track "Give Life Back to Music" is a highlight to me , with a more rock oriented intro and funk guitar and bass riffs over the duo's signature robotic auto-tuned vocals. Another stand-out to me would be "Giorgio by Moroder", a more electronica based track with a very interesting monologue by Italian songwriter Giorgio Moroder. Instant Crush is a more progressive sounding track, full of melody and a intelligently fun chorus that can pull you in nobody what you are busy with at the moment. The collaboration with Pharrell Williams is brilliant, producing tracks such as the ridiculously funky "Lose Yourself to Dance" and probably the album's centerpiece "Get Lucky" which is sure to be one of the big hits of the summer and will easily go down as one of group's signature tracks.
The only minor complaint I have with this "Random Access Memories" is it's length. It clocks in at just under 75 minutes. And although this record is almost filler free, this seems a bit overboard for this type of musical endeavor.
All in this record is a anthemic and daring journey which looks to reinvent dance music like Daft Punk has already done more than once. You must listen to Random Access Memories from start to finish, with headphones, and with the volume on 10! This is an intelligently written project, and yet it's a heck of a fun listen. Don't be surprised if you start a private disco dance party in your room! (Don't worry nobody's looking!") This is possibly Daft Punk's greatest accomplishment, among a more than satisfying discography. They have produced one of 2013's masterpieces and so far a favorite for album of the year. With this level of quality coming out of a more radio friendly mainstream act, I have nothing but hope for the future of music! Thank you Daft Punk.
My rating 85/100
No comments:
Post a Comment