Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

It seems strange that in hindsight I was worried about the comeback of Daft Punk being lost in amongst a blur of new acts - but then this is the same reviewer who bought Adele's 21 in the first week of its release, "hoping it wouldn't miss #1". The rather understated teasers of their new material - most notably the screening of a minute of Get Lucky at Coachella - seemed as though the Frenchmen were taking it slow eight years on from their last proper album. This, of course, was prior to the gimmicks: the Formula 1 sponsorship, the eight-part series of collaborators, the intentionally bizarre choice of launch venue in Wee Waa, Australia. 2 months on, and Random Access Memories is inescapable.

Though that'll frustrate some, to me it's a blessing. Aside from their rather lacklustre soundtracking to 2011's Tron: Legacy, the absence was unbearable. But their comeback (is 8 years long enough to justify such an overused term?) is with a vengeance: the so-called "Give Life Back to Music" as an album opener cannot be construed as anything other than an acknowledgement of music's stagnance these past few years. Random Access Memories almost boasts of its lack of samples (closer Contact aside) and with a 9 minute monologue from the increasingly revered Giorgio Moroder, it's pretty safe to say that RAM is something of a love letter to music of the past.

It's quite easy to riff off of that whole generational-divide and the idea of timeless music when you create characters of yourselves as futuristic robots, but Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo have a clear set of heroes and influences in mind when it came to making this record. Hiring Chic songwriting god of haircuts Nile Rodgers to do what he does best - and that is conjure marvellously funky riffs - and the perennially cool Gonzalez on keyboard duty, on opener 'Give Life Back to Music' is a masterstroke, and although the repeated bursts of the intro are a little too clear-cut in their attempts to be something epic, the general feel of the track is a house party in full swing (no doubt helped in part by the background cheering towards the end). The use of archaic vocoders on 'The Game of Love' again gives them that retro shtick that sums up the record, but lends the track a rather crooning, heartbroken quality. Bit of an odd selection as track #2 though, since it's a hell of a drag. It fades away to allow Moroder his mini-opus, starting with a talk on travelling Germany and recording techniques, before exploding into a series of dizzying arpeggios and prog-rock elements. It's incredibly indulgent and that'll probably rub a few people up the wrong way, but it's a brilliantly executed tribute.

The album's weirdest inclusions for me are tracks like Game of Love mentioned above and 'Within', coming purposely after rousing tracks with the seeming intention of calming us down and showing the more vulnerable, emotional side to Daft Punk. Has anyone you've ever met seriously told you their favourite Daft Punk songs are ballads? We pick up the pace a bit with the Julian Casablancas guest spot 'Instant Crush', effectively what the Strokes have been trying to sound like since 2005 but without much success. It's a beguiling diversion for Daft Punk. The lesser known Pharrell spot 'Lose Yourself to Dance' then comes and - if stretching Williams' vocal abilities a little more than the admittedly repetitive Get Lucky does - does little else. It's initially fun and infectious, sure, but after five or more plays it's a chore to listen to. It offers nothing in comparison to the wonderfully theatrical 'Touch', a typically eccentric vocal performance from Paul Williams. All sorts of instruments dance over the central rhythm during its crescendoes, but its quieter moments are just as dazzling.

We then, of course, hand over to 'Get Lucky'. I suppose it's inevitable for a song that lasts 4 weeks at #1 (over here in the UK) to end up irritating a few people, but that's what you deserve for indulging in hit radio all the time. From the first listen, it was an immediate party starter, and everything about it screams mega hit. So I offer no apologies or signs of tiring of it. The intros get even more absurdly orchestral on 'Beyond', an otherwise slow-burning and opulent R&B jam. Similarly enchanting is 'Motherboard', a rather overlooked instrumental that collapses inward on itself around halfway with squelching sound effects and primal drums, and reemerges with brightness.

Sometimes, Daft Punk are guilty of playing a little too close to the 1980s sound: 'Fragments of Time', whilst fine, could just as easily be lifted off a Peter Gabriel record. It's almost too polished, and given the musical equivalent of an Instagram filter, to strike me as anything particularly fascinating or novel. Comparatively, Panda Bear's work on 'Doin' it Right' is - probably by default given his nature as a solo producer - fresh and rapturous. Everything including the kitchen sink is then thrown at closer 'Contact', the album's only real attempt at a thrasher, and it's a pretty exciting send-off.

The nature of music talk today is primarily concerned with the so-called deterioration of quality and the saturation of commercial, soulless pop. For me, though, it's left us with a crowd of easily-infuriated elitists who've no time nor consideration for anything other than what their favourite albums are. This whole bubble of noise and online rage is very convincing in deceiving us into accepting that music is dead and the old stuff's the greatest, and in a sense, that's rather what Daft Punk have capitalised on here. For what it is, Random Access Memories isn't that different in ambition or execution to other compatriots Kavinsky or Phoenix. But as a collective work, and a series of different collaborations, RAM is excellent, if a little inconsistent.

My status as a slave to my own reviewing format would tell you that there are songs to be avoided here, and if you're in a rush you might very well want to cut down on that 1hr 20min running time, but the tracks I've selected for 'avoid' are merely the least fun and memorable for me.

Rating: 8.5/10
Highlights: Giorgio by Moroder; Touch; Get Lucky; Instant Crush; Doin' it Right; Motherboard
Avoid: The Game of Love; Lose Yourself to Dance; Fragments of Time

Artwork Watch: A touch self-indulgent and uninteresting, and not in a charming 'meta' way. 
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