I felt it best to give this album time to sink in for a while before taking the time to write down my thoughts on Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories.
I have been a big fan of Daft Punk since I was very young. Discovery was the first album of theirs that I can remember listening to, and One More Time has been burned into my memory since the moment I first heard it. I’m not a diehard fan, and I’m not claiming to “like them before everyone else did,” but I have followed them for quite some time. They absolutely stood out with their style (both in music, and mysterious robot DJ attire), and were an impact on future producers and performances. I have great memories of the music and the mystery behind the duo, but I think that nostalgia has clouded the judgment of many for the latest album, Random Access Memories.
There’s a belief rolling around the web that “It will be years before we see immense impact this revolutionary album will have for years!!!” I think that’s a nostalgic belief — not realistic. There was nothing on this album that stood out to me as unique, or exciting. I really think this was an artistic flop on behalf of Daft Punk. I could throw out the general idea that “artists need to do unique things in order to grow,” but I really don’t think they stepped outside their comfort zone here in any way. The album itself felt very bland, and beyond “Get Lucky,” I really didn’t feel connected to any other songs on the album. As list played through, I lost focus on the music and nothing reached out to pull my focus back in.
It was skillfully produced, no question there, I just felt that it could have been better. It felt lazy — not in terms of quality, but in terms of effort in the way we know Daft Punk is capable.
The most exciting piece surrounding this Daft Punk moment was the SNL Daft Punk teaser ad:
There was much to be desired here, and I think a lot of people are in denial. It’s ok to still love Daft Punk, I’m not questioning that, I just don’t think this release even came remotely close to the anticipation and hype, not even in the same ballpark.
More Intastella 5555 (Discovery Album!), less yawn.