Review: Daft Punk's Random Access Memories
“The album has some lofty ambitions, and wears its servo-heart on its shiny sleeve”
The first time I heard Daft Punk’s “Around the World” involved a blonde from science class, an electric-blue 1982 Malibu station wagon (the Blue Meanie), and a drive down a secluded dirt road in the woods. Dubbed on that same tape was “Da Funk,” also from Homework. Suffice to say, Daft Punk became a crucial part of my junior-year playlist.
But it’s been a long time since I gave Daft Punk a whole lot of thought. I don’t think I’m the only one. I dug their work on the Tron: Legacy score. Anything that involves sweeping arpeggios, nasty analog synths, and a sense of cinematic grandeur enters the game with a few bonus points, as far as I’m concerned. But, I didn’t have more than a passing urge to revisit it.
Random Access Memories marks Daft Punk’s return, not to the public’s awareness, but to its imagination. This is the duo’s first effort in a while that might make people ask, “What the fuck was that?” instead of simply saying, “Oh, that sounds like Daft Punk.” And that’s a good thing.
The album has some lofty ambitions, and wears its servo-heart on its shiny sleeve. Random Access Memories pays unabashed tribute to the sounds of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, referencing disco, jazz-fusion, and soft-rock, with a little bit of prog-rock thrown in for good measure.
Not content to simply reference the era with samples, as most electronic artists would do, Daft Punk went the full rock’n’roll excess route on this album, recording live musicians in some of the world’s finest studios, to 2-inch tape and digital, simultaneously. The sonic range and quality of this album is amazing. Audiophiles will love it.
“Give Life Back to Music,” the album’s opener, comes on like a disco-fusion version of "Welcome to the Jungle," before dropping into a dreamy groove with guitar chords so clean you could eat off them. This masterful guitar work comes courtesy of the illustrious Nile Rodgers, the Chic front-man who has lent his signature production style and guitar chops to the likes of Madonna, David Bowie, Duran Duran, and too many others to list.
“Giorgio by Moroder,” the third track of the album, is a lovingly reverent tribute to the music and influence of the legendary disco musician producer. Here, Daft Punk sample the four-on-the-floor veteran reminiscing on his youth as a struggling musician, discovery of the synthesizer, and groundbreaking work on Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love.” It seems odd that Moroder himself was not involved in the musical aspect of the track. Who invites Giorgio Moroder into the studio, and won’t let him fuck around with the modular synthesizer?
But, the interview footage is used to excellent effect. There is a certain spinal magic that kicks in when the man introduces himself, and the modular bassline slithers into the aural field. The track is an enjoyable journey through early dance music, jazz-fusion, and briefly, orchestral majesty.
“Instant Crush,” for the first few seconds sounds kind of like (dare I say it?) “Last Christmas” by Wham! But mercifully, this passing similarity quickly fades. Vocals by Julian Casablancas of The Strokes are buoyed by, yet shine through the viscous vocoder treatment, and the triumphantly poisonous chorus hook is, to my ears, one of the album’s finest moments. Pop excellence.
“Touch” boots up like the recharged android captain of derelict starship. In one of the albums odder cameo appearances, ‘70s pop hit-maker Paul Williams, who wrote 3 Dog Night’s “An Old-Fashioned Love Song,” David Bowie’s “Fill Your Heart,” and the theme for “The Love Boat” waxes bittersweet on the memory of physical contact. This meandering 8-minute track contains some of the album’s most poignant songwriting.
Of course, “Get Lucky” must be mentioned. Judging from Spotify’s numbers, you’ve already heard it. But, just in case you have been living under a rock, Pharrel Williams’ vocals are great, the song is made for clipping the stems of wallflowers and sending them swirling onto the dancefloor, and the vocoder breakdown is an earworm to best “Around the World.” Enough said.
“Huh. Daft Punk made a disco album. I’ll probably listen to that, once.” basically sums up what I thought about this record at first. But as I listened to it, and the scope of it came into full view, it really grew on me. You can hear the passion and craftsmanship that went into this album.
It’s catchy as hell, and the production values drip money, but it’s not all superficial gloss. There are moments of genuine vulnerability here. The composition is soulful and shows off a high level of craft, certainly assisted by the who’s who of studio musicians. Plus, I always appreciate it when artists have the gall to say, “You know what? Fuck everything. We’re doing this!”
Rating: 4/5 robot fingers
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