Jedah Doma
Chroma Ma' Doma!,
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2004
- Posts
- 9,902
For me Daft Punk is and will forever be a part of our gaming lexicon. Whether it’s their electronic sound that affords them such a relation by proxy or simply a sharing of a universal demographic, the two are inseparable. So I felt it only natural to review this album. That and my love of their music over the years doesn’t hurt either.
Da Funk
When I first heard to the lead single “Get Lucky” from Daft Punk’s upcoming “Random Access Memories”, I was left slack jawed from the hand of funk which had slapped me upside the head. The intro bass groove backed by a solid drum rhythm leading to the chunky melodic guitar licks of Nile Rogers flowing seamlessly into the bright and poppy vocals of Pharrell, it was spot on. And just when your ears itched to hear the soulful robotic harmonies of the duo, they come in with impeccable timing. Pitch perfect collaboration
A few weeks back, some friends and I found ourselves sitting in my basement listening to the track extolling its’ glory. In that moment sitting there slowly bobbing our heads to the beat in coincidental unison, it felt like we were listening to a song from an alternate 1970; Inherently familiar yet uniquely vibrant. It was like I had heard it before but not phrased this exact way.
Like the rest of my grooving compadres, I was excited and anxious as the release date approached. With the magical day finally here, only one question remains: does RAM work or does it fail? Well yes and no.
Short Circuit
So let’s get back to the concept of collaboration, a key element the album hinges on. As a musician myself I’ve always felt the best collaborations are those which meld the individual styles of the players into one harmonious amalgamation. A little bit of everyone wrapped into a singular whole. In the case of Daft Punk, I was expecting an album featuring Daft Punk as the core with sprinklings of other contributors. A little Nile Rogers pepper and Pharrell salt perfectly seasoning the Daft Punk filet mignon.
You remember playing that prank on your friends? You know the one where you would unscrew the pepper shaker so the metal top precociously sat on top? Then as your victim went to season their food it would pour all over their meal in a cascade of black and white flakes? This would not only ruin their meal but ensure many a laugh was had? In way that’s exactly what RAM feels like (sans the laughter).
Highlighting an artist or verse which showcases a collaborator for an extended period of time is understandable. That is not the case with the majority of RAM. Instead of adding to the flavor, many of the “collaborators” seem to overtake the sonic space until there is little to nothing of Daft Punk left. It leaves you with a bitter taste in your ear, or mouth I should say.
One More Time
The other missing component of RAM found in previous efforts from Daft Punk is the repeatability factor. That little craving which pulse into your finger to press the back button during the last five seconds to hear it just one more time. One more enjoyment which leads to innumerable other enjoyments. Not including “Get Lucky”, there were very few songs I desperately wanted to hear again. Sometimes I couldn’t wait to move to the next song.
I rarely felt a need to stay in the space for more than the time allotted. I have always found Daft Punk’s music to be simple upon first listen yet infinitely complex upon further plays. Like picking out one conversation from a chorus to truly comprehend it. Following a phrases in one song led me to repeat it again thereby allowing me to listen to a different musical conversation. RAM’s “conversations” so to speak feel more shallow and don’t have the same depth of previous offerings by the band. This leads us to another issue.
Too Long
Yes Daft Punk has been known to author songs whose length easily cracks the ten minute mark. Some may argue ‘Alive 2007′ is essentially one big run on sentence o’ music. And I would agree. For all intents and purposes ‘Alive 2007′ mashes together their songs into a chaotic fusioned creation; but it worked. However RAM seems unable to attain this same happy medium.
The first hint of trouble begins with track three’s ‘Giorgio by Moroder’. At the five minute mark, the song feels resolved. The musical idea is expressed and at this point my mind is ready to move on. No new ideas are introduced, and the core song elements are not interesting enough in and of themselves to analyze any further. Yet the song continues for almost another four minutes nearly doubling the length. Continuing the song past a certain point only waters down the impact of the entire piece. This leaves us with an experience bloated and empty.
Track three also introduces an odd styling. The track starts well enough, but then a voice begins to regale us with a story. A biography of sorts. It’s not that the story isn’t interesting. Nor is the impact Giorgio has on music culture irrelevant. I would have certainly welcomed this as a bonus track, but as part of the main line up it doesn’t seem to fit. Like a random road bump on the freeway, it only serves to slow down the pace.
The Game Has Changed
It’s not all gloom and doom ladies and gentlemen. I for one welcome the new direction Daft Punk takes with this album. It’s an experiment. In fact if I had one word to describe “Random Access Memories” it would be “experiment”. I was encouraged to see such an iconic duo try something different. As an artist of any allegiance it has to be nerve racking to take such a gamble. The idea of Daft Punk mixing their signature sound with so many other diverse artists is a feat unto itself. Forsaking much of their digital upbringing in favor of a more warm funky analog soundscape may cause concern for some. To me it felt right.
If I had one word to describe “Random Access Memories” it would be “experiment”
When an artist takes such a departure, many artists try to strike a balance. A balance which maintains the sonic vibes of their past efforts, thereby appeasing old and current fans, while still introducing enough fresh elements to bring new fans into the fold. RAM cannot seem to find that magical teetering point. Because of this, the album feels lost in a limbo neither satisfying the old or the new.
Digital Love
For all it’s flaws, RAM is a labor of love. At no time during my multiple listens did it come off as disingenuous. Watching the collaborators series gave me a case of the happies. Seeing the love, thought and effort put into this album made me feel honored to be a part of the experience. These artists weren’t making your run of the mill cheap guest appearance. This wasn’t about picking up a check for the session and having their credits in the liner notes. This was about making something intimately cared for and nurtured. Experimenting with what had been and what could be.
And in that we come to the crux of this album. You see some experiments work flawlessly. They turn out just as we hoped without so much as a hitch. On the other hand even the most well-intentioned experiments can fail. It is indeed a random accessing of memories. Some of which are good, others which are flat out bad, while still others just sit in the middle. When the album finds its true North, in such tracks as “Get Lucky”, “Give Life Back to Music”, and “Lose Yourself To Dance”, the results are astounding. Conversely tracks such as “Touch”, “Fragments of Time”, and “Contact” do not work as amazing new creation or an homage to their creators. The rest of the tracks on the album sit somewhere in purgatory.
End of Line
Those expecting the second coming of “Discovery” or “Human After All” will be sorely dissapointed. RAM does not provide the listener with the kinetic house beats long time fans are so accustomed to. Though the absence of their signature electronic dance music isn’t why this album inevitably falls apart.
I really had high hopes for this album. Maybe I’m judging it purely from my enthusiasm for the lead track “Get Lucky”. Maybe my opinion is tainted by such a strong single making it difficult to have an objective frame of mind. To be honest, I would have been satisfied if “Get Lucky” was the only track like it on the album. “Get Lucky” doesn’t work by the nature of its speed or funkiness. It works because it’s a testament of how a perfectly executed collaboration can create these few minutes of unadulterated goodness.
RAM is akin to a experimental steam machine. When the separate parts and gears of the machine work together in unison, it moves graceful and effortlessly. However when the parts works against one another, it brings an imbalance in turn causing the machine to stutter and at times fail. Like all experiments, while not perfect it’s an endeavor of love.
And in that it I suppose the experiment of RAM succeeds in its own way.
Even if I don’t enjoy the end results.
Da Funk
When I first heard to the lead single “Get Lucky” from Daft Punk’s upcoming “Random Access Memories”, I was left slack jawed from the hand of funk which had slapped me upside the head. The intro bass groove backed by a solid drum rhythm leading to the chunky melodic guitar licks of Nile Rogers flowing seamlessly into the bright and poppy vocals of Pharrell, it was spot on. And just when your ears itched to hear the soulful robotic harmonies of the duo, they come in with impeccable timing. Pitch perfect collaboration
A few weeks back, some friends and I found ourselves sitting in my basement listening to the track extolling its’ glory. In that moment sitting there slowly bobbing our heads to the beat in coincidental unison, it felt like we were listening to a song from an alternate 1970; Inherently familiar yet uniquely vibrant. It was like I had heard it before but not phrased this exact way.
Like the rest of my grooving compadres, I was excited and anxious as the release date approached. With the magical day finally here, only one question remains: does RAM work or does it fail? Well yes and no.
Short Circuit
So let’s get back to the concept of collaboration, a key element the album hinges on. As a musician myself I’ve always felt the best collaborations are those which meld the individual styles of the players into one harmonious amalgamation. A little bit of everyone wrapped into a singular whole. In the case of Daft Punk, I was expecting an album featuring Daft Punk as the core with sprinklings of other contributors. A little Nile Rogers pepper and Pharrell salt perfectly seasoning the Daft Punk filet mignon.
You remember playing that prank on your friends? You know the one where you would unscrew the pepper shaker so the metal top precociously sat on top? Then as your victim went to season their food it would pour all over their meal in a cascade of black and white flakes? This would not only ruin their meal but ensure many a laugh was had? In way that’s exactly what RAM feels like (sans the laughter).
Highlighting an artist or verse which showcases a collaborator for an extended period of time is understandable. That is not the case with the majority of RAM. Instead of adding to the flavor, many of the “collaborators” seem to overtake the sonic space until there is little to nothing of Daft Punk left. It leaves you with a bitter taste in your ear, or mouth I should say.
One More Time
The other missing component of RAM found in previous efforts from Daft Punk is the repeatability factor. That little craving which pulse into your finger to press the back button during the last five seconds to hear it just one more time. One more enjoyment which leads to innumerable other enjoyments. Not including “Get Lucky”, there were very few songs I desperately wanted to hear again. Sometimes I couldn’t wait to move to the next song.
I rarely felt a need to stay in the space for more than the time allotted. I have always found Daft Punk’s music to be simple upon first listen yet infinitely complex upon further plays. Like picking out one conversation from a chorus to truly comprehend it. Following a phrases in one song led me to repeat it again thereby allowing me to listen to a different musical conversation. RAM’s “conversations” so to speak feel more shallow and don’t have the same depth of previous offerings by the band. This leads us to another issue.
Too Long
Yes Daft Punk has been known to author songs whose length easily cracks the ten minute mark. Some may argue ‘Alive 2007′ is essentially one big run on sentence o’ music. And I would agree. For all intents and purposes ‘Alive 2007′ mashes together their songs into a chaotic fusioned creation; but it worked. However RAM seems unable to attain this same happy medium.
The first hint of trouble begins with track three’s ‘Giorgio by Moroder’. At the five minute mark, the song feels resolved. The musical idea is expressed and at this point my mind is ready to move on. No new ideas are introduced, and the core song elements are not interesting enough in and of themselves to analyze any further. Yet the song continues for almost another four minutes nearly doubling the length. Continuing the song past a certain point only waters down the impact of the entire piece. This leaves us with an experience bloated and empty.
Track three also introduces an odd styling. The track starts well enough, but then a voice begins to regale us with a story. A biography of sorts. It’s not that the story isn’t interesting. Nor is the impact Giorgio has on music culture irrelevant. I would have certainly welcomed this as a bonus track, but as part of the main line up it doesn’t seem to fit. Like a random road bump on the freeway, it only serves to slow down the pace.
The Game Has Changed
It’s not all gloom and doom ladies and gentlemen. I for one welcome the new direction Daft Punk takes with this album. It’s an experiment. In fact if I had one word to describe “Random Access Memories” it would be “experiment”. I was encouraged to see such an iconic duo try something different. As an artist of any allegiance it has to be nerve racking to take such a gamble. The idea of Daft Punk mixing their signature sound with so many other diverse artists is a feat unto itself. Forsaking much of their digital upbringing in favor of a more warm funky analog soundscape may cause concern for some. To me it felt right.
If I had one word to describe “Random Access Memories” it would be “experiment”
When an artist takes such a departure, many artists try to strike a balance. A balance which maintains the sonic vibes of their past efforts, thereby appeasing old and current fans, while still introducing enough fresh elements to bring new fans into the fold. RAM cannot seem to find that magical teetering point. Because of this, the album feels lost in a limbo neither satisfying the old or the new.
Digital Love
For all it’s flaws, RAM is a labor of love. At no time during my multiple listens did it come off as disingenuous. Watching the collaborators series gave me a case of the happies. Seeing the love, thought and effort put into this album made me feel honored to be a part of the experience. These artists weren’t making your run of the mill cheap guest appearance. This wasn’t about picking up a check for the session and having their credits in the liner notes. This was about making something intimately cared for and nurtured. Experimenting with what had been and what could be.
And in that we come to the crux of this album. You see some experiments work flawlessly. They turn out just as we hoped without so much as a hitch. On the other hand even the most well-intentioned experiments can fail. It is indeed a random accessing of memories. Some of which are good, others which are flat out bad, while still others just sit in the middle. When the album finds its true North, in such tracks as “Get Lucky”, “Give Life Back to Music”, and “Lose Yourself To Dance”, the results are astounding. Conversely tracks such as “Touch”, “Fragments of Time”, and “Contact” do not work as amazing new creation or an homage to their creators. The rest of the tracks on the album sit somewhere in purgatory.
End of Line
Those expecting the second coming of “Discovery” or “Human After All” will be sorely dissapointed. RAM does not provide the listener with the kinetic house beats long time fans are so accustomed to. Though the absence of their signature electronic dance music isn’t why this album inevitably falls apart.
I really had high hopes for this album. Maybe I’m judging it purely from my enthusiasm for the lead track “Get Lucky”. Maybe my opinion is tainted by such a strong single making it difficult to have an objective frame of mind. To be honest, I would have been satisfied if “Get Lucky” was the only track like it on the album. “Get Lucky” doesn’t work by the nature of its speed or funkiness. It works because it’s a testament of how a perfectly executed collaboration can create these few minutes of unadulterated goodness.
RAM is akin to a experimental steam machine. When the separate parts and gears of the machine work together in unison, it moves graceful and effortlessly. However when the parts works against one another, it brings an imbalance in turn causing the machine to stutter and at times fail. Like all experiments, while not perfect it’s an endeavor of love.
And in that it I suppose the experiment of RAM succeeds in its own way.
Even if I don’t enjoy the end results.
Last edited:
