Daft Punk
Random Access Memories
Reviewed by Stephen Krock
The word “epic” has seen a resurgence as of late. We have known it to describe a certain kind of fail or acting as the title of a movie that, 21 years ago, was called FernGully: The Last Rainforest. People throw the word around left and right nowadays, which I fear has diminished its meaning. For I am about to say, and not at all lightly, that Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories is epic.
The depth and sheer breadth of this album is staggering. With a dizzying amount of street cred boosting collaborations, the electronic pop duo has told a story through these 13 songs that is at once impressively current and undoubtedly timeless. As we hurtle on towards the future, our capacity for creating and accumulating music grows increasingly infinite. Yet, as many have argued, the quality seems to be dropping. Along with the soul. Daft Punk has, for the most part, abandoned their synth orchestra in favor of strings, piano and percussion manned by human hands and human hearts. It shows.
Their thesis lies in the title of their opening track, “Give Life Back to Music.” A cornucopia of electronica, disco and rock sung jubilantly by the duo through their trusty vocoder. Brilliantly, as we progress through the narrative of Random Access Memories, these robot vocals are replaced more and more with the likes of the Strokes’ Julian Casablancas, Pharrell Williams, Paul Williams and Animal Collective’s Panda Bear. All giving life back to music and to the cybernetic Pinocchio that you can’t help but envision as you experience the album. And by the end, that Pinocchio is absolutely a real boy.
An odd, but interesting, highlight is “Giorgio by Moroder.” In which, legendary disco producer Giorgio Moroder monologues about his rise in the music industry, accompanied by a constantly evolving and escalating backdrop of synth and funk. This is followed by the great “Within” and “Instant Crush,” the proposed musical android’s “I Want” songs. N.E.R.D.’s Pharrell Williams makes his first appearance in the unfortunately forgettable “Lose Yourself to Dance,” which literally consists of the title repeating itself for five minutes. Pharrell makes up for it, though, with his lead vocals on the album’s groovy flagship single, “Get Lucky.” Moving along, there are two stunning instrumentals, “Beyond” and “Motherboard.” The greatest achievement, though, is “Touch”, featuring Paul Williams. It seamlessly moves from eerily synthesized to Williams’ yearning, desperate vocals to some frenetic tickling of the ivories and back again.
At a time when we, as an audience, are starting to no longer accept overly produced and manufactured music, Random Access Memories represents the artists no longer willing to produce such soulless fare. It may not be the perfect album, but it comes at the perfect time.
Rating: Iconic
