Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
Electronic – Released May 17, 2013 – 13 songs, 74 mins
ROZ’s album drop:
My pick for this week ended up being a last minute switch-up. I had a pick in the back of my mind leading up to the week, however with the sudden news of Daft Punk breaking up, I just had to do it. These guys paved the way for electronic dance music and were one of the first of the genre I ever heard. From French House to Mainstream Pop, they’ve undoubtably made their mark in the world of music.
We may never catch a return set or witness live something close to the magic that was their 2006 Coachella show, but we can still enjoy their records.
With that being said, my pick for this week is Daft Punk – Random Access Memories.
REID
Fitting album choice this week from Roz. I already had this one on the phone and obviously heard the multiple hit songs it produced but this exercise got me into it further.
Give Life Back To Music is a great opener. Feel good vibes all around and love the funky guitar. The Game of Love, Giorgio By Moroder and Within are all super creative with elements I really enjoy. All three drag on a little too long for me though, especially GBM coming in at over 9 minutes. These three precede an explosion of greatness. I was a late bloomer on Instant Crush. Somehow managed to go years without hearing it. It’s a regular for me now and I love it. Casablancas is much more than The Strokes, as shown by his solo albums, the Voidz and other collaborations. His vocals over Daft Punk’s music here is just killer. Next up we have the first of two Pharrell Williams appearances with Lose Yourself to Dance and it does not disappoint. That funky guitar gets me every time. Touch falls right in line with the 2/3/4 trio mentioned above. Very creative and I’m sure Roz is going to use words to describe it I haven’t even heard before. Pharrell’s second jam, Get Lucky, blew up when this album was released and for good reason. We’ll be hearing this one for decades. The opening minute of Beyond is certainly something but I think it falls flat after. Motherboard is an interesting instrumental. Whatever they have going on at around the 2-minute mark is pleasing to the ear. Drags on a little otherwise. Fragments of Time is another feel good track, makes me crave summer deck beers. As someone who has only listened to Daft Punk’s hits, Doin’ It Right gives me an old school feel. Maybe it’s the repetition of the song title. Contact is a fitting ending to this one. Once again drags on a little for me but that’s likely more about me than the music.
This is a great album. It’s a very fun 74-minute listen. There are low points but the high points really outweigh them. This qualifies as vinyl worthy because of its quality but also to add some variety to the collection. Here’s to their 2030 comeback tour.
Overall Rating – 9/10
Favourite Song – Instant Crush
ROZ
Well well well.
I'm actually surprised at myself for never even thinking to review this one, as I remember bumping it constantly when it came out back in 2013-2014. When I heard they broke up I knew right away that I wanted to make this review week a tribute to the French duo.
Daft Punk changed the landscape of electronic music not just once, but with each album they produced. From Homework to Discovery, Human After All to RAM, their signature French House style has evolved throughout the years using elements spanning from 70s disco & funk to 2000s hard rock. Random Access Memories took this to a new level by evolving their techniques of crate digging and sampling into arranging and mixing live studio session elements in order to make one cohesive record. At a cost of over a million dollars (from their own pockets no less) and with 5 Grammy wins, their final album as a duo definitely made its mark.
Here is my review:
The album is ultimately a tribute itself to the 70s disco/funk genre. From what I understand, the duo was seeking to make dance music without having to use synthesized/electronic kick drums or drum patterns, but rather make dance tracks using a live drummer and other live elements - and boy did they ever succeed. Give Life Back to Music starts us off and already you can feel that thud of the kick and clap carrying a groovy beat. The robotic vocoder vocals layered on top add a futuristic electronic twist and the guitar glues it all together with a fantastic hook that continues throughout. The Game of Love and Within work to slow down the pace of the record with blues guitar licks and ear-pleasing piano melodies. Both of them use the vocoder to great effect in order to add more emotion to the tracks, with the former even incorporating a "vocoder solo" which I don't believe I've heard before in any other track.
Sandwiched between these two tracks lies Giorgio by Moroder, which is absolutely fantastic and has an awesome backstory. Giorgio is an italian legend in the electronic/disco music world, and I have no doubt that Daft Punk were ecstatic over being able to work with him. Rather than have him play an instrument, the track revolved around them slicing up an interview they had with him in their studio and using it for the song (which itself is heavily influenced by his style). Fun fact about the recording process: Daft Punk actually recorded him speaking with different microphones depending on what decade of his life he was talking about. His stories about the 60s and 70s have a noticeably grainier sound to them. Insane detail to add in there that I'm sure was lost on many (I only knew this through an interview I watched a while ago). Pretty crazy stuff.
Instant Crush features The Strokes' Julian Casablancas, so I'm pretty excited to see what Reido thinks of this one. I honestly love the mix they did of his voice combined with the daft vocoder. This song is also on my short list for album favorite, and I always end up playing it more than once whenever it comes on. Lose Yourself to Dance has to be one of the catchiest songs I've ever heard in my life and in my opinion is the best one on the record. Between the bass guitar, lead guitar, drum groove and Pharrell's voice, it's completely unreal. Touch slows everything down again with another amazing vocal performance laid across a digital landscape; the choir and jazz elements especially stick out for me. Get Lucky was the radio hit of the summer and is another super catchy, funky song. Pharrell's back again to sprinkle some magic on this one..
Beyond slows it down and layers on the robotics once again, while adding an almost western vibe to the track. Motherboard then kicks in with a similar tempo and ambience - it's at this point where you can sit back and be blown away by the dynamics and variation within the record as a whole, which I found super impressive. There are so many different moods and energies going on yet it all fits together so seamlessly. The record tapers off through Fragments of TIme, Doing it Right and finally Contact, which picks it back up into the climax of the journey: an epic space-like adventure with layers upon layers of synthesizers distorting to a point where you feel as though you're flying through a wormhole in your own personal rocket ship.
What a fucking ride.
I hope I didn't lose you guys during that tirade! This is the first album we've reviewed where I can say that I liked every single song, and my rating will reflect this. Thanks for everything Daft Punk! Enjoy your retirement.
Overall Rating – 9.8/10
Favourite Song – Lose Yourself To Dance
LUNDI
I would have bet my life savings on Roz picking a Daft Punk album after news broke last week but no one would take my action. Absolute legends of their craft and one of the few artists I can honestly say I’m sad I’ll never see.
This review was a nice trip back to fuck work summer. Just after graduating and on EI for a wild summer with the boys, this album was a staple in the pre and after parties.
Over the course of listening to this album I’ll be honest, I toyed with a 10. It really is teetering on a perfect album. I struggle to describe how EDM musicians make their music or what makes me like it but this album is a total package. The beats are crisp and unique and the songs are filled with prime features.
Songs like Instant Crush, Doin It Right, Lose Yourself to Dance and the generational song Get Lucky just do not get old. They were hits then, they still are now, and they will most certainly be in the future.
As with other pop and EDM albums the only real downfall here for me is the length. This one manages to hold my attention throughout but there are some spots I think are unnecessary or songs just drag on too long.
Shoutout to Giorgio Mororder. I could listen to him talk about music all day. I know the synthesizer. Why don’t I use the synthesizer??
Overall Rating – 9.6/10
Favourite Song – Instant Crush