OMERGHERD GUYS DAFT PUNK!!! (Random Access Memories)

GH · Post by GH » Thu May 16, 2013 1:08 am

Saw on a blog just now that this album could have passed as Air's sequel to Moon Safari.

The Telepathic Kid · Post by **The Telepathic Kid** » Thu May 16, 2013 6:06 am

GH wrote:Saw on a blog just now that this album could have passed as Air's sequel to Moon Safari.

No I don't think so. No emotional pull like Moon Safari.

Cupz · Post by **Cupz** » Thu May 16, 2013 1:03 pm

yeah, where's the C'est matin la?

harpoon dodger · Post by **harpoon dodger** » Thu May 16, 2013 3:58 pm

Cupz wrote:yeah, where's the C'est matin la?

LMAO

From the moment I played the new album, I knew it was going to divide the fanbase. I still really like it, though not sold on every track..I imagine it's gonna be one of those records that grows on me.

m_thomp · Post by **m_thomp** » Thu May 16, 2013 7:36 pm

As I sort of said in my other post, I think this is halfway between OK and good. Some of the tracks I think are excellent, with one that I think is really spectacular. It's just that the rest seem to bounce between alright and serviceable, in that there's nothing really memorable about a lot of the material on there (and it is a long album).

It also sounds, er, grown-up. Mature, even, and safe too. I like that they're tryng to use live instruments but give them a song or something catchy to hang off. On most tracks it sounds like there's zip in the way of spark and vitality, it just seems crushingly dull.

I'm going off Pharrell Williams too. A better option would've been to remix Curtis Mayfield.

A few other random thoughts:

- Reading Pitchfork interviews with Daft Punk and Four Tet, I was thinking about Daft Punk saying (I'm paraphrasing) that they chose live instruments as it brings more life to the music than programming. Then, on the other hand, you have Kieran Hebden saying that Rounds was made entirely from samples (ok not exactly programmed, but...). So which out of R.A.M. and Rounds do you think as the most life/warmth/human touch?

- That Pitchfork gave the Daft Punk / Panda Bear track a Best New Music tag. They've seriously got shit for ears. It's the worst on the album by a good distance. Am I alone in thinking the ground is already prepared (pre-ordained?) for them to get a high-score/mega review from Pitchfork?

- That all these albums pull off the task better than R.A.M.:

-Lindstrom and Prins Thomas - II
-Drive - Soundtrack
- Symmetry - Themes from an Imaginary Film

heck, you could even throw in Lindstrom's Where You Go, I Go Too also?

The Telepathic Kid · Post by **The Telepathic Kid** » Fri May 17, 2013 12:45 am

to an extent I think Pitchfork has a hard on for Panda Bear, and I understand I mean I think that anyone who can release a record like Person Pitch is amazing.

But I do think that Doin' It Right is underwhelming.

And of course it's gonna get a huge score. 8.5-9.5 is my prediction.

EnforcedNo · Post by **EnforcedNo** » Fri May 17, 2013 2:06 am

The Telepathic Kid wrote:to an extent I think Pitchfork has a hard on for Panda Bear, and I understand I mean I think that anyone who can release a record like Person Pitch is amazing.

But I do think that Doin' It Right is underwhelming.

And of course it's gonna get a huge score. 8.5-9.5 is my prediction.

that vocoder in it kills the whole thing for me. i hate that song now.

Naal · Post by **Naal** » Fri May 17, 2013 8:16 pm

Am I the only one in the universe right now who's pretty much indifferent to Daft Punk ?
Never really liked nor disliked them. Although i've always thought they were hugely overrated.

A_Northern_Soul · Post by **A_Northern_Soul** » Fri May 17, 2013 8:23 pm

Nice blog post on the new Daft Punk material and attendant hype:

http://hiddentracks.org/its-not-actuall ... lash-2013/

seanandcandy · Post by **seanandcandy** » Sat May 18, 2013 2:12 am

terrible. literally their worst effort to date.
couldn't have possibly been more disappointed.

Post by **Aesthetics** » Sat May 18, 2013 8:33 am

A_Northern_Soul wrote:Nice blog post on the new Daft Punk material and attendant hype:

http://hiddentracks.org/its-not-actuall ... lash-2013/

Pretty spot on!

Besides everything he mentioned I like to add that the record is called Random Access Memories. They dug up some memories of their youth and tried to capture the atmosphere in this record. They did a great job at bringing back that era. I'm born in 77 and the 80s are my roots for my current taste in music so I have a connection with that era and they served me damn fine well

Personally I do miss a bit of synth but besides that the album is fresh and a lot of songs get stuck in my mind. But I'm glad they steered away from Human After All because there are only a handful of songs I liked from that record.

IanRedpoint · Post by **IanRedpoint** » Sat May 18, 2013 10:09 am

An alarming amount of this wouldn't sound out of place on Radio 2. The pastiche of '80s soul/funk/disco is so technically accurate that you wonder what the point was. I can't say that I hate it. Some of it is even pretty good (Giorgio by Moroder) and Nile Rodger's guitar is as irresistible as ever. It's all a bit too perfect and lifeless though.

That's pretty much how I feel about Daft Punk anyway - that there's not much substance behind the production cleverness. In this case production cleverness equates to mimicking (or even using) slick glossy '80s opulent studios.

At least Chic wrote some fantastic songs too.

Jonse · Post by **Jonse** » Mon May 20, 2013 1:40 am

A_Northern_Soul wrote:Nice blog post on the new Daft Punk material and attendant hype:

http://hiddentracks.org/its-not-actuall ... lash-2013/

I take so much goddamn objection to that first point made. That's what everyone incessantly defending this album says.

It isn't that it isn't the record we were expecting that makes it bad. Human After All wasn't the record I was expecting and I still enjoyed that. What is makes it bad is that we think it is a BAD RECORD. I'm sick of people misconstruing everyone who dislikes it. It's almost like they think we don't listen to any music other than the kind that Daft Punk made before and so we're going to hate anything different. That assumption is inane. The fact is some people don't care for cheesy sounding nu-disco and it has very little to do with expectations from an artist of which a change of sound is to be expected.

Negamuse · Post by **Negamuse** » Mon May 20, 2013 7:46 am

Rodheh wrote:
A_Northern_Soul wrote:Nice blog post on the new Daft Punk material and attendant hype:

http://hiddentracks.org/its-not-actuall ... lash-2013/
I take so much goddamn objection to that first point made. That's what everyone incessantly defending this album says.

It isn't that it isn't the record we were expecting that makes it bad. Human After All wasn't the record I was expecting and I still enjoyed that. What is makes it bad is that we think it is a BAD RECORD. I'm sick of people misconstruing everyone who dislikes it. It's almost like they think we don't listen to any music other than the kind that Daft Punk made before and so we're going to hate anything different. That assumption is inane. The fact is some people don't care for cheesy sounding nu-disco and it has very little to do with expectations from an artist of which a change of sound is to be expected.

I don't see anyone saying that everyone who hates the album falls under point one, just that there are some people who are hating on it for that reason. If it doesn't apply to you, and you hate it for other reasons, then hurray.

jakestott · Post by **jakestott** » Mon May 20, 2013 11:07 am

Naal wrote:Am I the only one in the universe right now who's pretty much indifferent to Daft Punk ?
Never really liked nor disliked them. Although i've always thought they were hugely overrated.

This.

GH · Post by GH » Mon May 20, 2013 6:33 pm

Ah, it turns out that Random Access Memories is a good album after all:
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/180 ... -memories/

The Friendly Stranger · Mon May 20, 2013 7:12 pm

GH wrote:Ah, it turns out that Random Access Memories is a good album after all:
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/180 ... -memories/

Completely baffled by the reviews for this album. This one made me laugh:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/musi ... eview.html

I just cannot hear what everyone is raving about. It's dull, unoriginal and lazy. It's the sound of two incredibly talented and innovative producers settling for less. And what the fuck is the painfully pretentious endorsement by Giorgio Moroder all about?

Betacord · Post by **Betacord** » Mon May 20, 2013 8:08 pm

https://soundcloud.com/user5316795/the-fall-get-lucky

F. · Post by F. » Tue May 21, 2013 8:46 pm

Daft Punk - Horizon (Japan Bonus Track)
http://nobpm.tumblr.com/post/5099075252 ... onus-track

Weekend Cigarette Smoker · Wed May 22, 2013 11:35 am

Its near impossible for most people to have a balanced view on this album due to the hype. Some people are going to defend it furiously because they love Daft Punk. Others are more like "Go on then, impress me" which means they will be focusing more on the negatives than the good parts.

Personally I like Daft Punk and to me this is another good offering. Not as good as Discovery but better than Human After All. I like that all their albums are totally different to the one that came before it. It's a bit Dad Rock in places but for all it's faults its ambitious and they've developed their sound. None of the tunes can be classed as original but then again they have never been an original band. They take stuff from the past and make it their own. Listening to it right now I'd class it as modern easy listening. Naturally that's not going to sit well with everyone

It will be interesting to see where everyone stands in a years time. The backlash in certain quarters was inevitable due to the ludicrously over the top reviews. To my mind, it's not a game changer or an instant classic but it's an album I'll probably end up playing more than most this year.