Random Access Memories Album Review
Pt.1
Daft Punk's First Album in 8 Years is Beautifully Retro
Before this year, Daft Punk were relatively unknown to the general population, nothing more than the artists of a few songs the occasional music listener would hear on public FM radio. Daft Punk's largest hits prior to this year date back to 1997's Alive & 2001's Discovery, before the Internet, satellite radio, and cell phones were major players in your everyday life. Back before electronic music or "EDM" was widely accepted as a music genre on par with traditional pop or hip-hop.
Daft Punk single handily is credited by many of today's top producers and DJ's as having a direct influence in their musical styles. They carry a lore about them, and a level of respect few artists will ever get to experience. Since 2005, the year of their last album release (the ill-received Human After All), Daft Punk has been very quiet, composing only the soundtrack to Disney's Tron Legacy.
This past May, Daft Punk released Random Access Memories (R.A.M.), an album that has been in production since 2008 and has been produced in various studios all over the world. It has been six months to the day from when I first listened to R.A.M. and believe it is time to assess the album that many have had mixed grumblings on.
1. Give Life Back To Music - The opening track to R.A.M. feels more like an overture for the entire album. It welcomes the listener to some of the smoothest bass lines, and guitar cords ever recorded, followed by an upbeat clap and drum beat. The song features legendary Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers, and great vocoder use from the robots. This is the perfect opening track for the listener, and is one to fully enjoy. Listen for the subtle guitar and bass line cords in the background, the complimenting pieces in this song is abundant. 5/5
2. The Game Of Love - The listener is then taken into a robots ballad of lost love and heart break. The song hearkens back to the days of funk and disco in all the right ways. From the thick bass line, to the synthesizer, this song could of been produced in 1974 and nobody would know any different. This is a spiritual successor to Discovery's "Something About Us," and definitely holds its place on this album. However, I have found myself moving past the song on occasion as it is a very down-tempo song in comparison to the songs it's put between. 4/5
3. Giorgio By Moroder Feat. Giorgio Moroder - Where to start with this song! I know this might be unpopular with most people, but this song is definitely in contention for the best song of the album. The opening is a fantastic retelling of Giorgio Moroder's career accompanied by a fantastic funk groove. The result of the drop is nothing sort of spectacular. Phase 1: The listener is taken down a funky synthesizer groove with organs, bass guitars, drums, and guitar cords. This however is only given to the listener for the first phase, as in Phase 2: Moroder returns and guides the listener into a symphonic composition. Phase 3: The final drop in the song is also it's best with rock drums, rock guitars, paced synthesizer and even vinyl scratching. At the end of the song, you have traveled an epic 9:05 journey with Daft Punk and Moroder. 5/5
Giorgio Moroder Speaking of Daft Punk
4. Within - While a decent ballad in it's own right, Within just doesn't stack up to the other songs on this album, and is nowhere near as complete a song as A Game Of Love. The piano is on point, and the song features probably the saddest robot you will ever hear, but the overall direction of the song doesn't warrant repeated listens, and is nothing more than a song to break out every now and then. 2/5
5. Instant Crush Feat. Julian Casablancas - Daft Punk collaborated with The Strokes front man Julian Casablancas and fans of both should probably rejoice, right? While the collaboration should have excited many, the actual outcome isn't exactly one of the highlights on the album. While the song has a catchy enough beat, I could never really get hooked on its sound or the singing style of Casablancas. I have encountered many who think this is one of the top songs on the album, but unless I'm missing something, I haven't been able to find that reason. 3/5
6. Lose Yourself To Dance Feat. Pharrell Williams - The second single off R.A.M. and the better one in my opinion is just now starting to reach the airwaves on public FM radio, and thanks in part to a newly released music video, Lose Yourself To Dance very well may replace Get Lucky as the song Daft Punk is known for. Nile Rodgers absolutely blows this track into another dimension with his trademark guitar playing, and one of the highlights of the song is when his guitar is solo on the track with no backing beat, fantastic moment. The robot breakdowns steal the show for the majority of the song paired with a complimentary harmony with Pharrell. This one could become massive before the year ends. 5/5
Daft Punk single handily is credited by many of today's top producers and DJ's as having a direct influence in their musical styles. They carry a lore about them, and a level of respect few artists will ever get to experience. Since 2005, the year of their last album release (the ill-received Human After All), Daft Punk has been very quiet, composing only the soundtrack to Disney's Tron Legacy.
This past May, Daft Punk released Random Access Memories (R.A.M.), an album that has been in production since 2008 and has been produced in various studios all over the world. It has been six months to the day from when I first listened to R.A.M. and believe it is time to assess the album that many have had mixed grumblings on.
1. Give Life Back To Music - The opening track to R.A.M. feels more like an overture for the entire album. It welcomes the listener to some of the smoothest bass lines, and guitar cords ever recorded, followed by an upbeat clap and drum beat. The song features legendary Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers, and great vocoder use from the robots. This is the perfect opening track for the listener, and is one to fully enjoy. Listen for the subtle guitar and bass line cords in the background, the complimenting pieces in this song is abundant. 5/5
2. The Game Of Love - The listener is then taken into a robots ballad of lost love and heart break. The song hearkens back to the days of funk and disco in all the right ways. From the thick bass line, to the synthesizer, this song could of been produced in 1974 and nobody would know any different. This is a spiritual successor to Discovery's "Something About Us," and definitely holds its place on this album. However, I have found myself moving past the song on occasion as it is a very down-tempo song in comparison to the songs it's put between. 4/5
Something About Us & Game of Love
3. Giorgio By Moroder Feat. Giorgio Moroder - Where to start with this song! I know this might be unpopular with most people, but this song is definitely in contention for the best song of the album. The opening is a fantastic retelling of Giorgio Moroder's career accompanied by a fantastic funk groove. The result of the drop is nothing sort of spectacular. Phase 1: The listener is taken down a funky synthesizer groove with organs, bass guitars, drums, and guitar cords. This however is only given to the listener for the first phase, as in Phase 2: Moroder returns and guides the listener into a symphonic composition. Phase 3: The final drop in the song is also it's best with rock drums, rock guitars, paced synthesizer and even vinyl scratching. At the end of the song, you have traveled an epic 9:05 journey with Daft Punk and Moroder. 5/5
Giorgio Moroder Speaking of Daft Punk
4. Within - While a decent ballad in it's own right, Within just doesn't stack up to the other songs on this album, and is nowhere near as complete a song as A Game Of Love. The piano is on point, and the song features probably the saddest robot you will ever hear, but the overall direction of the song doesn't warrant repeated listens, and is nothing more than a song to break out every now and then. 2/5
5. Instant Crush Feat. Julian Casablancas - Daft Punk collaborated with The Strokes front man Julian Casablancas and fans of both should probably rejoice, right? While the collaboration should have excited many, the actual outcome isn't exactly one of the highlights on the album. While the song has a catchy enough beat, I could never really get hooked on its sound or the singing style of Casablancas. I have encountered many who think this is one of the top songs on the album, but unless I'm missing something, I haven't been able to find that reason. 3/5
6. Lose Yourself To Dance Feat. Pharrell Williams - The second single off R.A.M. and the better one in my opinion is just now starting to reach the airwaves on public FM radio, and thanks in part to a newly released music video, Lose Yourself To Dance very well may replace Get Lucky as the song Daft Punk is known for. Nile Rodgers absolutely blows this track into another dimension with his trademark guitar playing, and one of the highlights of the song is when his guitar is solo on the track with no backing beat, fantastic moment. The robot breakdowns steal the show for the majority of the song paired with a complimentary harmony with Pharrell. This one could become massive before the year ends. 5/5
Continued in Pt.2
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