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Daft Punk's Random Access Memories album

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Posted (edited)

I think most people won't like it because it's not Alive 2007. When I say that I mean they are fairly different in terms of style and perhaps people were expecting/hoping "Alive 2013," and so when this came out people were disappointed.

 

When I think/hear Daft Punk, I think of Alive 2007 not so much RAM which I've listened through most of. This goes to say while I don't completely dislike RAM I still like Alive 2007 more.

 

Here is a list of the songs in case you haven't seen them yet.

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Edited by Michael (see edit history)

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Posted

I feel like all of Daft Punk's songs have sounded the same since like, 1997. It was good then but it got really old really quickly. I understand and appreciate the contributions they made for music once upon a time, but music has evolved since then and they haven't at all. I mean, it's cool if you guys enjoy it, but in my opinion, they are a one trick pony.

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Posted

I don't see Alive 2007 and RAM being the same, to me they sound completely different.

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I agree with Tappy, Random Access Memories seems like a completely different style from all of their other albums. I feel like I'm in the minority here when I say I enjoyed most all of the tracks from this album. Touch is probably my favorite.

 

This is all from a first listen, though. I do agree with Teto that the Giorgio by Moroder was a pretty cool song. Also, like Tappy said, I was expecting songs similar to their original stuff, but the change wasn't necessarily a bad thing, since I found them all quite good.

 

But, my opinion doesn't matter anyway.

Michael likes this

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I tried listening to a few songs and like, it's okay I guess. It's not worth buying, or even pirating imho.

Edit- I'm listening to Giorgio the Moroder right now and I'm super unimpressed.

I'm just going to go ahead and say you say these things in spite of the hype. In other words, your opinion is pretty much bunk in this case, and I think you're just trying to antagonize to show how edgy and indifferent you are.

And it's amazing how easily people will say "one trick pony", as if they actually know what "trick" is being pulled. Can you tell me?

 

Homework focused on the repetitious nature of house music; things like acid/deep house and hip-hop. Discovery was an amalgamation of things; house music that hadn't really been heard yet, and still can't be replicated. That's what they call "ahead of its time". It really defined electronic pop sensibilities for, well. Pretty much everything up until now. Discovery is easily their most popular album, and it's what people want more of, and as much electronic music as I've listened to, artists may not notice, but it seems like many of them today have tried to emulate this album but instead put out lackluster imitations that are only catchy for a couple listens.

Human After All was really abrasive, and as they've talked about, is actually mostly improv they spent like two weeks on the whole of. It wasn't necessarily meant to be feel-good dance music, but it was definitely a unique entry into minimalistic electro styles, which was and still is trending in France, I believe. People really didn't like that, after coming off Discovery's high, so they took a lot of flak and got mixed reviews. Then Alive 2007 came in and pretty much said "so hey guys, we're actually really good artists and you were silly for doubting us". It was a lot more rock-centric than previous albums, though it still retained its house sensibilities, and it's a really awesome album. It also established a trend in the electronic music scene in terms of concert presentation; up on a central, intricate podium that's part of a crazy light show. I've seen a lot of concerts like that since then.

So here we've got Random Access Memories. If Get Lucky is any indication, they've gone all-analog, so that's already where you're wrong. Their live instrumentation is full of a very subtle, masterful groove that isn't quite the banging repetition of house music nor a driven example of funk records. Everything sounds very full-- very lively. Ties-in to electro funk with nu/disco and soul, but with such an organic emphasis on rhythm and groove. A really awesome blend that I've never heard before.

With Homework I would say they were testing the waters, trying to make the best example of dance music they could based on the records they'd listened to (and cited in Teachers) using their limited equipment. Discovery was an homage to their childhood idols they'd made when they got more experience. Human After All had the feeling that they were feeling a bit tired of their iconic image; a sort of venting procedure that wanted to express everything that made them still human, rather than pop culture icons. Alive 2007 was an awesome concert that really focused on driving the crowd forward. Random Access Memories, as far as I know, is just what it sounds like. It's pulling from different periods of time and different styles, paying tribute to and giving personal involvement to the legends that made the great music that today, has been watered down. A modern example of how magical the past was, how trends don't define music and how trends don't invalidate the music we used to love so much.

As much as I love EDM, I haven't heard truly inspiring music from it for a long, long time. It's been absorbed by the narcissistic nature of east side gangsterism. It's all about image, money, making nerdy references. That's pretty much what happens to anything that enters the mainstream. Pop music on the radio is completely dominated by the music industry, and EDM and pop have had a sort of destructive feedback loop going on for quite awhile. There's a track on the radio I've heard that uses the house beat, then the dub beat, then it throws in a modulated bass line; I've heard another that uses sidechain compression. And it's all mediocre. I'm still honestly confused as to how deadmau5 has a career as large as his; if there's anyone who gets by on iconography, it's probably him. Someone dropped the ball along the way, and we've lost some depth. Sometime about a year and a half ago I started getting this impression. So I'm glad they shared my sentiment and intended to do something about it.

But if you've truly listened to the music, I don't see how you can say they haven't evolved when each track belongs to its album as much as it does. I couldn't see Homework's

(special mention:
) on Discovery any more than I could see
on Human After All, or
on Random Access Memories. The best part is that they're all so distinctly from the same artists, yet so widely varying in style, and they're still all so good in what they try to accomplish. The subtle use of percussion, the rhythms, the unique sounds. They've never had to be loud or adrenaline driven to be good, which a lot of people don't understand now. I'm not typing all this out to tell you you're wrong because I'm a fan of Daft Punk. I'm pissed that people can ignorantly dismiss something as readily as you have, and it's a prime example of how you say things in spite of people rather than for any merit in what you're saying.
Michael likes this

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Posted

So far I like Give Life Back to Music, Instant Crush, Doin' it Right

 

I haven't had time to fully listen to the other songs but these ones stuck out to me.

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Posted

I feel like all of Daft Punk's songs have sounded the same since like, 1997. It was good then but it got really old really quickly. I understand and appreciate the contributions they made for music once upon a time, but music has evolved since then and they haven't at all. I mean, it's cool if you guys enjoy it, but in my opinion, they are a one trick pony.

That's a very lazy criticism. That just makes me think "you're not that into dance music". Homework is miles away from Discovery, which is miles away from Human After All, which is miles away from Random Access Memories. I honestly do not know how you can think that Homework is like RAM in any way. They're both dance I guess?

 

 

As much as I love EDM, I haven't heard truly inspiring music from it for a long, long time. It's been absorbed by the narcissistic nature of east side gangsterism. It's all about image, money, making nerdy references. That's pretty much what happens to anything that enters the mainstream. Pop music on the radio is completely dominated by the music industry, and EDM and pop have had a sort of destructive feedback loop going on for quite awhile. There's a track on the radio I've heard that uses the house beat, then the dub beat, then it throws in a modulated bass line; I've heard another that uses sidechain compression. And it's all mediocre. I'm still honestly confused as to how deadmau5 has a career as large as his; if there's anyone who gets by on iconography, it's probably him. Someone dropped the ball along the way, and we've lost some depth. Sometime about a year and a half ago I started getting this impression. So I'm glad they shared my sentiment and intended to do something about it.

 

Well there has been a problem in Electronic music (I absolutely refuse to use the term EDM) for a while now. It reminds me of '70s stadium rock. We're trying to treat producers (and even DJs?!) like we treated rock stars in the '70s. We're treating Skrillex, Deadmau5 and Avicii the same way we treated Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Freddie Mercury. This is highly problematic to the development of dance music in a number of ways, but mainly as it just slows the development of music down to a snails pace. Deadmau5 hasn't changed his style since Random Album Title, and people love him for it. They can show up to a Deadmau5 show and get exactly want they expected, a lot of strobes and the same thumping soulless house they've been hearing for like 10 years. Its the same for Skrillex or say, Tiesto, too. It's horribly narcissistic, and an awful shame. Producers are just trying to do what they do, write generic trite and hope they get lucky enough to be seen as one of the big stars. That's how Avicii did it.

 

Anyways enough rambling on about the faults in dance, on to the album.

 

To me, RAM sounds like it's doing too much. It's pretty much the very antithesis of Human After All. I think this was very deliberate. One only has to look at the videos they've been doing. They've really been pushing this "robot" theme, which is pretty much the opposite of Human After All. I don't know whether they're trying to make a statement, but the music is definitely much less minimalist and electronic than Human After All. I don't know entirely how I feel about it yet. I think they're trying to play the whole disco and throwback theme much too much. A lot of this doesn't even sound like dance music anymore. I'd like to see how they incorporate it into a set.

 

When Alive 2007 came out, everyone had a sort of revelation about Human After All. Like everyone just sort of thought "Oh now I see what they were going for". I hope that RAM has a similar evolution. 

 

So far I'd give it a 7/10, I hoped for more but wasn't entirely disappointed. 

Michael and Sahaqiel like this

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Posted

Wwwwait what, Giorgio is 9 minutes long?

I guess I lost track of time with my surfdoku listen-through.

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This is a very polarizing album. I think that if it doesn't divide people who like it or not, it will divide people on just songs alone. I think they knew what they were doing when they made the album so diverse. While I listened to it, I read the Wikipedia page on its production (which gives a brief description of each song) and that made me appreciate the album more. I need to give it a listen again and finalize my thoughts on it, but I will say there were some songs that I liked more than others, notably Instant Crush (surprise, the vocalist is from the Strokes, who are usually my taste of music). I really tried to detach myself from Alive 2007 and see RAM as a modern day funk album with a tribute to all types of music.

I heard they plan to remix their own album though, so maybe they have another trick up their sleeve. DP, from what I've learned, is profoundly clever in how they deliver their music. It will be interesting.

Michael likes this

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Posted

There are already a few remixes on Sound Cloud, whether they are good or not, who knows.

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Instant Crush, Giorgio, Contact and Doin' it Right are all pretty great. I didn't really dislike any tracks as such, but the vocals on touch? yuck

 

 


I heard they plan to remix their own album though, so maybe they have another trick up their sleeve. DP, from what I've learned, is profoundly clever in how they deliver their music. It will be interesting.

 

If this is true, I put £100 that the remix is more dance-y and electronic. That actually excites me, I enjoyed RAM, and want to see how they make it more dancefloor friendly. (hopefully in time for a tour, which I am TOTALLY gonna get tickets for)

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Posted

favourite track was this tbh

 

Padraig! likes this

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Posted

favourite track was this tbh

 

 

haha 

on a side (but somewhat related) note, does anyone else feel that RAM needed more cheesy saxophone? cmon if you're gonna do cheesy, do it right

 

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@Padraig! It's funny cause I listen to almost exclusively hip hop and dance music.



@Saha yeah cause not liking Daft Punk makes me so cool and hardcore. Im not even gonna bother reading your wall of text if you think my opinion was shared simply to piss you off. puppy off.

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@Phanta, I don't think anyone has a problem with you disliking it however your reasoning seems silly and nothing to support it other "I'm unimpressed" and that they are somehow a "one trick pony."



haha 

on a side (but somewhat related) note, does anyone else feel that RAM needed more cheesy saxophone? cmon if you're gonna do cheesy, do it right.

 

 

The first thing I thought of...

 

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