Album Review: Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

It was spread like wildfire when EDM's worst kept secret was finally revealed that Daft Punk's new album Random Access Memories was going to be available via stream for a limited time. It was announced on iTunes due to third party websites leaking the album throughout the internet. Those who were able to pre-order the album online were given the opportunity to hear the album in its entirety on iTunes. I'm happy to announce that I happened to be able to stream the highly-anticipated album and to give an honest review about all the hype around Random Access Memories.

When you go through the legendary albums that Daft Punk has made over their career, Homework, Discovery and Human After All, you say to yourself, "Their next album has to be harder, better, faster, stronger than the previous three!" Sadly, this isn't the case. For all the EDM fans that are used to the raw heavy beats that dubstep provides you and the club anthems that House music want you to lose yourself in, you'll be disappointed. Random Access Memories features a 13-track album that focuses heavily on their disco funk roots that they've incorporated in their music since they started.

The album starts off with "Give Life Back To Music" which sets the tone to the album right away. This isn't Tiesto's Club Life compilations or Skrillex's More Monsters and More Sprites, this is the roots from where dance music came from - the genre of disco - and Daft Punk wants whoever is listening to know that. Throughout the album, songs like "The Game of Love," "Instant Crush," and "Lose Yourself to Dance" intensifies the direction this album is going with catchy melodic lyrics, flamboyant synthesizers, and smooth R&B influenced beats to compliment one another. Other songs like "Giorgio by Moroder," "Motherboard" and "Contact" showed more of the experimental side of Daft Punk with outspoken drum solos and crisp synths to either enhance or reduce the momentum that the song provided.

Throughout the pop-driven album, it seemed that some of these songs were pushed to have lyrics in the song such as "The Game of Love," "Within," and "Instant Crush." It's odd for Daft Punk songs to featured a heavy dose amount of lyrics. But in Random Access Memories, just about every song has lyrics in the album. Unlike their debut album Homework, "Teachers" is the only song on that album with more than a sound bite of the song title. Another factor that shifted the way the album's direction went was the heavy amount of collaborations with different artists such as Pharell Williams and Nile Rodgers. Figuring the way EDM has evolved since the late 90's, through many producers collaborating with one another or other music genres. Daft Punk went with the side of EDM as far as having other artists to collaborate with in order to appeal to the people who listen to EDM now and not 15 years ago.

Although Random Access Memories doesn't live up to the hype of their previous albums, this album shows that Daft Punk can do whatever they want and whenever they want and still be loved for who they are. This is one of these albums that you can play in front of your parents and they'll be instantly reminded of Saturday Night Fever, the Bee-Gees, George Clinton and the Parliament, and Barry White - all mashed up together. We don't know if RAM might become the fourth head of Daft Punk's Mt. Rushmore, but one thing is for sure - Daft Punk is back from hiatus and roaring once again.

4 out of 5

Upcoming Blogs: Steve Aoki and Far East Movement concert reviews and Trip Down Memory Lane: Knife Party 03/2012 and Sun City Music Festival 2012.