Much modern debate about electronic music stems from issues with the formulaic rises and falls of beats per minute.
With Daft Punk’s long-anticipated studio album “Random Access Memories,” the French duo finds success once more, changing the direction of a genre it helped define.
The duo starts off strong with the aptly titled “Give Life Back to Music,” setting the tone for the rest of the record with excellent instrumentals by famed guitarists Nile Rodgers and Paul Jackson Jr. (known for their work with CHIC and Michael Jackson respectively). Live instruments complement the electronics with an elegant synchronization that feels completely natural for the group (a lesson learned from their work on 2010’s “Tron: Legacy”).
The album features a production value at the peak of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter’s work. However, fans expecting the next “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” may be disappointed. Daft Punk helped write the manual for modern electronica. This record sees them chucking that manual out the window without any obligation to their past.
The redefined direction lends the album a fresh originality, best classified as a modern disco epic. Third track “Giorgio By Moroder” is most emblematic of the shift, combining the voice of the famed disco producer Giorgio Moroder with synthesizers, string and jazz piano. The result is an irresistibly groovy journey through time, wholly embodying the lyrics when Giorgio says, “Once you free your mind about a concept of harmony and music being correct, you can do whatever you want.”
“Touch” is also a standout, opening with hauntingly malevolent robotic vocals, asking for “something more.” Academy Award-winning composer Paul Williams is fantastic on the keyboard, belting out the tale of a robot who just wants to feel.
It finds its solution: “Love is the answer,” and the only logical next step is to try and “Get Lucky.” That’s right, the song that’s been blasting all over the radio is actually about a sexually frustrated automaton.
Thematically, this idea is a thread throughout the record, meditating on the intersection of technology and the human mind. These distinctions begin to blur as electronic voices elicit genuine emotion during the song “Within.”
The remainder of the album proves to be quite a treat, with Pharrell Williams putting forth some of his best work in “Lose Yourself to Dance,” rivaling the album’s first single. “Motherboard” features some of the most creative fusions of electronics and drums: a true highlight. And Daft Punk’s song with Panda Bear, “Doin’ it Right” lives up to its name, providing a neat balance between each collaborator.
The ambitious scope of the project ultimately results in a few missteps. “Instant Crush” tweaks The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas’ voice to the sound of a slow groove. The melodies are pitch perfect but don’t progress in a satisfying way, weakening the song’s latter half. “Fragments of Time” also disappoints, echoing the 1980s in all the wrong ways due to house producer Todd Edward’s vocals coming off as a tad cheesy.
Regardless of those lapses in quality, the experience of the record demands multiple listens and its creative variance overshadows any particular blunder. “Random Access Memories” undoubtedly makes waves that mark the return of disco and an exciting new era for Daft Punk and electronic music as a whole.