NB: i go by EP on the site, so that's why i signed it that way.
===
*QR* Daft Punk, Random Access
Memories (2013) 4/5
The legendary French dance-music robots--behind such legendary albums as 1997's acid-house classic Homework and 2001's rainbow-disco odyssey Discovery--return with their most bombastic and ambitious record yet. But this record is vastly different from their past material: rather than making another sample-based dance album, the robots have crafted an intricate prog/dance/pop record with live instrumentation. The album sounds a bit like dancefloor classics of the late '70s and early '80s channelled through Daft Punk's trademark vocoders and sci-fi aesthetics (think "Thriller" or "I Will Survive" played by robots from the future). The resulting album can't really be called a "dance" album (at least, in the modern sense of the word), but it is a thrilling record nonetheless. The French cyborgs also change up this record by working in tandem with excellent musicians from the past and present. These collaborations are the most exciting part of the album. Legendary disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder talks about his early days in the sprawling house-history opus "Giorgio by Moroder." Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers adds a retro momentum to lead single "Get Lucky," as well as "Lose Yourself to Dance" and "Give Life Back to Music." Indie frontmen Julian Casablancas and Panda Bear (of Strokes and Animal Collective fame, respectively) beautifully execute their own tracks ("Instant Crush," "Doin' it Right"). The album falls flat in a few places: over-instrumentation threatens to cloud some of the more epic tracks (particularly "Giorgio by Moroder" and "Touch"), and some of the songs ("Lose Yourself to Dance," "Doin' it Right") are a bit too repetitive. In addition, the advance promotion for the record promised an album that would alter the course of electronic dance music, something that seems a bit unlikely upon listening to the record. Regardless of these slight problems, Random Access Memories is a truly epic record. It may not be a conventional EDM album, but it is a polarizing, arresting, overblown, and head-nodding record nonetheless. --EP
The legendary French dance-music robots--behind such legendary albums as 1997's acid-house classic Homework and 2001's rainbow-disco odyssey Discovery--return with their most bombastic and ambitious record yet. But this record is vastly different from their past material: rather than making another sample-based dance album, the robots have crafted an intricate prog/dance/pop record with live instrumentation. The album sounds a bit like dancefloor classics of the late '70s and early '80s channelled through Daft Punk's trademark vocoders and sci-fi aesthetics (think "Thriller" or "I Will Survive" played by robots from the future). The resulting album can't really be called a "dance" album (at least, in the modern sense of the word), but it is a thrilling record nonetheless. The French cyborgs also change up this record by working in tandem with excellent musicians from the past and present. These collaborations are the most exciting part of the album. Legendary disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder talks about his early days in the sprawling house-history opus "Giorgio by Moroder." Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers adds a retro momentum to lead single "Get Lucky," as well as "Lose Yourself to Dance" and "Give Life Back to Music." Indie frontmen Julian Casablancas and Panda Bear (of Strokes and Animal Collective fame, respectively) beautifully execute their own tracks ("Instant Crush," "Doin' it Right"). The album falls flat in a few places: over-instrumentation threatens to cloud some of the more epic tracks (particularly "Giorgio by Moroder" and "Touch"), and some of the songs ("Lose Yourself to Dance," "Doin' it Right") are a bit too repetitive. In addition, the advance promotion for the record promised an album that would alter the course of electronic dance music, something that seems a bit unlikely upon listening to the record. Regardless of these slight problems, Random Access Memories is a truly epic record. It may not be a conventional EDM album, but it is a polarizing, arresting, overblown, and head-nodding record nonetheless. --EP
No comments:
Post a Comment