Hey all,
I come bearing great news! Today Daft Punk releases their 4th official album, Random Access Memories. (not including their musical score Tron Legacy).
The dynamic duo, Guy-Mauel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, after almost 8 years, bring us their latest and greatest; with 13 tracks of over an hour and 15 minutes of music, this latest album is completely unique to the French musicians. And by this, I don’t only mean “different” from the rest of their albums, but unique to “who” these musicians are.
The album is full of tracks distinguished not only by the music they have been influenced by, but also by the era of when that music had influenced them. The entire album seems to be what can be considered, the “story” of Daft Punk. Listening to it from beginning to end feels like a journey from the 70’s to the 80’s to the 90’s to the present – but it’s a journey that is clearly “told” by Daft Punk. Each and every track, as different as it is to anything they have ever done, is still clearly and undoubtably Daft Punk to its core.
The album features a number of collaborators including Nile Rodgers, Giorgio Moroder, and Pharrell Williams, the album is full of gems. And though the tracks vary so much not only from one another, but as a whole from their previous work, Random Access Memories represents the genius of the musicians, their evolution in music, and their vast knowledge and variety in styles and compositions.
The unfortunate news is that the duo has stated they will not be touring for this album. With such a long lapse since their last album (with the exception of Tron Legacy), they stated that this return was sort of an experiment, and that they would not want to tour on an ongoing experiment. On the bright side, they do mention that the would eventually tour, and this brings a theory to mind.
This album feels very much like a “passport”. An ID full of stamps of where Daft Punk has been and what they have seen. And as the album progresses and you read through the dates of the stamps, you can hear, and even feel them grow and change. I believe this “passport” to be the experiment they are referring to. With this same idea, the final track on the album, Contact is the ultimate Daft Punk track. Within it, you can hear every era, every style, including an influence from their own work on a musical score (Tron Legacy), yet at the same time the track feels “new”. It feels like their most recent of work. I believe “Contact” is exactly that. You’ve listened to their passport, you’ve heard where they have been, and now they have arrived… they have made contact. This is Daft Punk as what they have become and grown into. And I believe that they will be coming out with another album, sooner than later. One that will represent who they are “now”… who they are as they sound in Contact. I believe it is that album that they will want to tour… and I hope this is true, because what an amazing tour this could be. Well, with all honesty, they can tour whatever they want… I am just dying to see them.
So, check out the album yourself. You will be both surprised and pleased to hear this new and unique album. Let us know what you think here at DFAT… we love to know your thoughts, likes and dislikes. And, as always, we will keep you updated with any other news from this amazing band!
~mozeus
