The excitement being generated by Daft Punk’s new album, ‘Random Access Memories’ is immense. The French duo have already garnered their first ever number one with the brilliant single Get Lucky, and the expectation levels are high. ‘Random Access Memories’ is released on 17th May, but I was extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity of a once-off listen to the album before it is released.
You have to be careful not to be too wrapped up in first impressions about this album. There is so much happening that even after many listens you’ll still be discovering an extra guitar solo or a hidden drum fill with every play. But I have learned a lot about what to expect, so here is the track-by-track breakdown.
Give Life Back To Music: The opening track is an interesting one, it’s quite funky with a strong groove on the bass line. Then comes the unexpected; in place of traditional singing, like on ‘Get Lucky’, The vocal line is sung by a robotic voice. Initially it seems somewhat out-of-place on such a groovy track, but once you get your head around the idea, it’s a pretty cool idea, that works pretty well. The song seems to go on a little too long however
The Game Of Love: This is an excellent track, again with guitars, bass and drums all skillfully held in place by a strong synth presence. Again the robotic voices sing the melody line, and somehow the band have managed to draw great emotion out of them. Brilliant tune, and one of the highlights of the album.
Giorgio By Moroder: This is an interesting one, featuring a spoken word part by Giovanni Giorgio, who talks about learning guitar and dreaming to be a musician, and then searching for a new sound that takes elements from the past while merging them with futuristic synth sounds. It can be viewed as a manifesto statement for the album. The song takes off, and is very futuristic, yet also very jazzy. The song picks up pace towards the end with an epic drum part. However, this song seems a bit too long as well.
Within: A long piano intro offers a bit of a change, and the robotic voices are back singing the vocal line. When you’re expecting a normal voice to sing, it is very strange to hear the robotic croon. It’s effective, but seems a little out-of-place. A bit of an unremarkable track, nothing bad about it, but nothing particularly outstanding either.
Instant Crush (Julian Casablancas): The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas appears on this track. It’s a little more electro-y than the previous few, especially on the drums sound. The guitar solo comes crashing in half-way through and sounds massive. Another song that seems to go on for a minute or two longer then it should.
Lose Yourself To Dance (Pharrell Williams): As the name suggests, this is a real dance-y number, and the first with Pharrell Williams. Williams has a really impressive voice, and offers a nice change from the robotic voices. Yet another top-class tune, that again is just a little too long.
Touch (Paul Williams): Touch is a bit of a strange one, it rises and falls powerfully throughout with Paul Williams’ rich voice coming in over a piano accompaniment before exploding into action with strings, trumpets and of course synths fading in and out. Another long one, but with the song changing direction so many times, it feels more like a musical adventure rather than a long, drawn out slog.
Get Lucky (Pharrell Williams): So we get to the number one single. The album version is longer, and what seems to be a recurring theme in the album, there is no need for it. The extra two minutes contribute nothing more than what we had heard in the radio edit. This aside, it is a ridiculously catchy tune, with Williams’ vocals standing out, and the guitars, bass and drums blending together to create the perfect pop tune. It feels that this is the point the album thus far has been building up to.
Beyond: The intro is big and grand, but I must admit, it does sound like the start of a news programme. The song develops nicely however, and the robotic voices make a triumphant return. Good use of guitars, but the synths begin to take a more prominent role.
Motherboard: A classic Daft Punk tune with flute-like spirals fluttering about delicately before building up powerfully, then breaking down with some really weird ‘squelchy’ synth sounds, before building up again. You feel the band have indulged themselves a little here, but it is a gorgeous piece of electro wonderfulness.
Fragments Of Time (Todd Edwards): The band hit back with another poppier tune, and is perhaps the most radio-friendly after Get Lucky. Perfect blend of guitars and electronics, and Edwards’ voice stands out
Doin’ It Right (Panda Bear): This is a dancier number, and the urge to jump up and move about is difficult to resist. The breakdown features an array of interesting sound effects. It’s a bit different, and that’s what makes it good.
Contact: The last track is fantastic. Starts off slow and grand, but builds up so powerfully. The drums go into overload, the synths are swirling around. Then, when you think it’s over, it goes off in some other strange direction, before crashing and flat lining. It is a masterpiece in electro composition, and to wait two weeks to hear is torturous. After one listen it’s probably too early to hype it up too much, but this could possibly be Daft Punk’s crowning moment.
After hearing Get Lucky, I half expected the whole album to be a masterpiece in pop. It’s not. It draws in from some many different influences and crosses so many genres, while still breaking new ground, that even if you don’t like it, you have to admire the compositional brilliance. The main problem seems to be that the band don’t know when to stop, they drag the songs out much too long, and they lose some of their impact. If shortened slightly, like on Get Lucky, there is at least one more no. 1 single in there. My fear is that the immediate accessibility of Get Lucky has raised expectations a little too high, and that the fact the rest of the album sounds like nothing else ever heard before may be off-putting for those looking for an album full of Get Lucky‘s. All said and done, it is a tremendously exciting album that I for one can’t wait to hear it again.