(Photo Credit: http://cdn.pitchfork.com/news/50694/4e6c6fb2.jpg)
First it was "Homework." Then came the now beloved "Discovery." And before taking a hiatus (besides the Tron: Legacy soundtrack) came "Human After All." Now Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, who most of you know as Daft Punk, are finally back after five years. They left us wondering if we will ever hear another sound from Daft Punk. After all the speculations, the fake leaks, SNL ads, interviews, and collaborator videos, "Random Access Memories" is finally in our hands to listen to. Well kind of at least. Ahead of the official May 21st release of the album, "RAM" was streamed for free on iTunes and with that the album was leaked to the public. I'm not going to post the link to the leak here because I feel like if you really want to listen to it you'll find the means to find it (hint check the Daft Punk Sub-Reddit). Now all the speculations of how the album will sound has come to an end. And with that all the drama and debate surrounding the album has come to an end too right? Well now things have gotten even more interesting since the release of the album. Before diving into a song by song review, I just want to voice my opinion on the album and how I hope people will interpret the album as a musical masterpiece. This is just my opinion so there is no wrong or right answer to any of this.
First off, I'm no music critic or musician myself. I'm just a fan who loves Daft Punk and music in general. Through my journey with electronic music, my understanding, appreciation, taste, and love for music has grown in a positive way. I remember first listening to Daft Punk's "Discovery" wondering what the hell it was. I didn't fall in love with it immediately to be honest, but it exposed me to a new sound that I found intriguing. The more I listened to it the more I started to like it until I fell in love with it. Same went for "Homework" and "Human After All." When Daft Punk first made their albums, the majority of people didn't love it and critics seemed to think not much of it. But now Daft Punk is one of the biggest names in electronic music. Changing the way live electronic performances were done with their iconic Pyramid rig and changing the trend of electronic music with their unique sound. It just proves that Daft Punk was just ahead of their time. Now that "Random Access Memories" is finally here, not much has changed for Daft Punk when it comes to releasing new material. There's a lot of people who don't like the new album saying it's boring and not innovative. Most critic reviews I have read thus far are saying similar things, expressing boredom or disappointment. But hasn't Daft Punk faced this kind of negativity with their previous albums? And now they are beloved by most electronic music lovers and music enthusiasts in general. This may mean one thing... Daft Punk is probably ahead of their time once again. Daft Punk is known for making the sounds of the future. But this album isn't about future sounds. It's about the sounds that got us to where we are today. It's about bringing soul and funk back to the music. It's about having love for the music. It's about losing yourself to dance once again. I feel like many people overlooked that about the album and Daft Punk's intentions in making this.
If you watched the collaborators videos on Youtube then you knew exactly what to expect from the album. If you didn't watch them, well it may explain why you might not like the album in the way that you thought you would. If you expected Discovery 2.0 then it's clear you would be disappointed. If you expected drops, a deep bass, and bangers all around, well you obviously don't know too much about Daft Punk and their history. This album is meant to listen to in full. If you skip around it'll just make it hard to understand the music and what Daft Punk is trying to show through the music. It took me several full listens of the album in order for me to fully grasp the magnitude of the album. Some songs take longer than others to fully enjoy and appreciate. There were some songs that I admit had to grow on me before I fully enjoyed it and loved it. But it's refreshing to finally hear an album that makes you actually have to listen and focus on the music to fully get it. It's clear simply by the title, "Random Access Memories," the goal Daft Punk had in mind for this album. It wasn't about using machines to create a futuristic sound, but using real instruments in making a sound that came from the past but can very well be the sound of the future. They brought us back to the roots of electronic music before synthesizers and vocalizes (though it's used in some of the songs). It's a clear tribute to disco and the inspirations that gave Daft Punk the motivation for their music. One can simply see the producers and artists that they chose to collaborate on the album and realize this was going to be something completely different. And the sound is different than the "Discovery" Daft Punk, but it's still the same Daft Punk influence. Artists are supposed to evolve and challenge what is comfortable. I don't want to hear the same artists making the same sound over and over again. And Daft Punk knew they had to get away from "Discovery" in order to reinvent themselves and the music world. So when you listen to this album, open your mind and listen with no expectations. It will make your listening experience that much better and take several full listens. I recommend, for your first time at least, only listening to the album from start to finish with no interruptions. It will take time to fully sink in, but if it does it will hit you harder than any bass drop. And with that here are my song by song reviews.
Give Life Back To Music
As an opening song to "Random Access Memories," "Give Life Back To Music" sets the bar high for the album and sets the expectations right away of what's to come. The song starts out with drum beats and a guitar, but quickly flows into a groovy guitar hook by non other than Nile Rodgers. Then the robot voices begin singing "give life back to music." The Daft Punk sound is evident, but this song pretty much sums up how the rest of the album will pan out. It's evident that this isn't your typical album. Daft Punk sets the mood quickly and established the clear message of the album, giving life back to the music.
The Game Of Love
Daft Punk quickly takes a more chill turn with the second song "The Game Of Love." The funky guitar playing is present once again with a groovy mellower bass line. The robot voices come in once again singing about the game of love and the heartbreak of love. What stands out is how life like the robot voices sound. In previous Daft Punk songs the robot voices sound like actual robots. In this song the robot voices evoke emotions in an almost creepy but amazing way. Daft Punk is able to connect robots and Humans on an emotional level in this song.
Giorgio By Moroder
The third track of the album, "Giorgio By Moroder," is a clear experimental song as well as a tribute to one of the most influential musician in music history. The song starts out with Giovanni "Giorgio" Moroder talking in a documentary style while having a discoesque tune playing in the background. He reminisces on his musical career and the use of the synthesizer. For those who don't understand this song, it's important to look at Giorgio's history. In short, Giorgio was Italian musical, producer, and composer who was at the forefront of the Disco era and he also was a big influence in the popularity of the synthesizer. This song is a clear tribute to him and the roots of the synthesizer. Right after Giorgio says, "My name is Giovanni Giorgio, but people call me Giorgio," the music drops into a funky synthesized groove. The track lasts about 9 minutes, making it the longest on the album. But it is an utter masterpiece and one of my instant favorites on the album.
Within
If I had to choose my least favorite song on the album it would have to be "Within." The song starts out with a mellow piano and about a minute into the song the robot voices are back. This song is definitely one of the slower tracks on the album. But this track didn't stand out to me as much and honestly the robot voices wasn't really doing it for me. They do sound very human which I like as it adds more emotions but I just didn't find the song as a whole enjoyable. Foe me personally something just didn't feel right about the song. It's worth a listen to make an assessment for yourself.Instant Crush (ft. Julian Casablancas)
"Instant Crush" is the first song on the album with a distinguished vocalist. When I heard Julian Casablancas was singing on this song I was very eager to take a listen. At first I didn't know what to make of the song. I liked it but didn't instantly love it. The more I listened the more I enjoyed it however. The song is filled with a smooth guitar rhythm, even having a quick guitar solo in the middle. Julian's voice flows well with the melody even with all the vocalizer effects added to his voice. It's one of the catchier songs on the album and after listening to it more and more it became one of my favorites as well.Lose Yourself To Dance (ft. Pharrell Williams)
If you loved "Get Lucky" when it was released as a single then you'll love "Lose Yourself To Dance." This is my favorite track on the album. It starts out with the funky guitar playing of Nile Rodgers once again, instantly becoming a groovy dance track. Pharrell Williams voice just flows so well with the melody. And then the robot voices in the background singing "come on" and other lyrics just makes the song easy to want to dance to. And the clapping sounds just adds to good feeling this song gives you. It's obviously a disco influenced song. For me it's the summer tune I have been waiting for.
Touch (ft. Paul Williams)
When I first heard "Touch" I'm going to admit I thought it was kind of cheesy. The song starts out with bloops and beeps like a sci-fi movie and a dark robot voice comes in saying things about wanting something more than touch. It gets kind of creepy until it suddenly drops into a piano and Paul Williams' Broadway sounding voice. The song picks up into a joyful melody, like something you would hear in a Broadway show or Disney movie. The mixture of piano, spaceship like sounds, and the robot voices makes it a clear Daft Punk song. The robot voices singing in a chorus has never sounded so life like. This is a track that at first listen will sound cheesy but will grow to be something unique and most enjoyable. It did for me at least.
Get Lucky (ft. Pharrell Williams)
The lead single off of "Random Access Memories" is "Get Lucky." Most people already heard the released radio version of this song, but the album version is even better. It starts off once again with Nile Rodgers signature disco guitar playing. This is the version of the song we have been hearing in all the collaborator videos. It's the second song featuring Pharrell Williams' smooth vocals. In my opinion this is the catchiest song on the album with "Lose Yourself To Dance." It will make you want to dance and the lyrics are so easy to learn. And once you do it will be the only thing you want to sing... Well that's what happened to me at least. It's another definite summer tune for me and one I'll be listening to for a while.
Beyond
The intro to "Beyond" sounds like an intro to a Disney movie to be honest. I had no idea what to expect, but the song quickly dropped into another groovy guitar hook and the robot voices come in once again. And what's been a theme in the album thus far, the robot voices once again sound life like and emotion filled. It's another mellower track but still has a funky kick to it. I like "Beyond" more than any of the other songs that only have those Daft Punk robot voices. Everything flows well in this song.
Motherboard
"Motherboard" is another mellower track on the album. Unlike most of the songs on the album, this one isn't as disco or funky sounding. This is one of the more electronic sounding songs on the track. It's honestly hard for me to describe how this song sounds like. But every time I listen to it I feel like I'm taking a tour of like a mother ship or something. I guess what I'm trying to say is it's a unique piece of music with a sci-fi feel to it. Nonetheless it's a very impressive sounding song.
Fragments Of Time (ft. Todd Edwards)
Todd Edwards and the Daft Punk's melody flow so perfectly in "Fragments Of Time." It's a good feel song with another groovy guitar chord and smooth piano notes. I really did enjoy this song from the start and I only grew to love it even more. With the drum and guitar solo breakdown in the middle, this song got me dancing from the first listen.It's like the perfect song to listen to on a late afternoon drive. I'm very interested to see how this song gets remixed with Todd Edwards voice.
Doin' It Right (ft. Panda Bear)
"Doin' It Right" has probably the deepest bass sound than any of the other songs on the album. It starts of the with the robot voices singing a catchy verse "everybody will be dancing and be doin' it right." This song instantly sounds catchy with the robot voices and the kick drum. As soon as Animal Collective's Panda Bear begins singing I fell in love with this song. It has a catchy simple rhythm with easy to learn catchy vocals. Panda Bear's voice surprisingly fits perfectly with Daft Punk's sound. It's a song that just makes you want to dance all night with a huge smile on your face. I'm probably most excited for a remix of this song over any other song on the album.
Contact
"Contact" starts out with a recording of one of the Apollo space missions. You get an instant otherworldly feel with this song. The drums and guitar kick in to make it sound like an epic song for a space mission of sorts. This is another more electronic sounding song on the album. It's hard to describe how this exactly sounds. Whenever I listen to it I feel like I'm flying through space and I'm about to make "contact" with another world or species. It is definitely an epic way to close the album. Maybe the robots are telling us that humans have finally made "contact" with something otherworldly... or we already have in the past without knowing it.
Conclusion
"Random Access Memories" is not your typical electronic album. Well that's because it's not really electronic given every song was made with the use of real instruments. It's an album you will either love or hate. As you can see, I had to warm up to most of the songs on the album. Not because they were bad, but because it was just so different than what you might expect from Daft Punk. That's why I say listen to "RAM" with no expectations. I had an idea what to expect but it still caught me off guard. Many will hate this album because of the strong disco influence, others will love it instantly, and some like me will like it but grow to love it with every listen. Daft Punk has once again reinvented themselves. They have pushed the boundaries and made music people aren't willing to risk on producing in today's mainstream culture. For that they at least deserve respect even if you did not enjoy the album. All I ask of you is to listen with an open mind and make an assessment for yourself. And listen to every song in full before liking or hating it. Don't let me or someone else tell you what to think of it. And if you don't like the album as it is, don't worry Daft Punk and others will be remixing the songs and make them more "festival" and "dance" friendly.
So is Daft Punk saving Electronic Music with this album? Most likely not since it's not really electronic music to begin with. Will it bring soul, emotion, and purpose back into music? I sure hope so since so much of the music today is lacking those elements. We will see in due time the impact of this album in the music world. Until that time, I'll continue to enjoy the album. To close this review out I want to say I'm glad Daft Punk is back and making music they love. The robots have got me dancing once again.
