Review #236: Discovery, Daft Punk
#236: Discovery, Daft Punk
Once upon a time, I worked a terrible job. This job was remote and overnight. That says it all, I think.
Anyway, I had two tricks to staying awake: 1) Horror movies, and 2) Daft Punk. Daft Punk made it feel like there was something beautiful about being awake and alone when everyone else was asleep. I listened to Discovery and Homework on repeat. I (mostly) stayed awake.
Discovery is 21 years old, but you’d be forgiven for thinking it was released last year. Well, unless you’ve heard “Stronger” by Kanye West on Graduation (#204), which is built around a thrilling sample of “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” This is the standout track on this album; I always sing along, even though it’s using a robot voice. More than/ever/hour after/our/work is/never/over. The other hit was “One More Time,” which sounds like showing up to a dance party that started a few hours ago.
Even though this is an electro-dance album, there’s some great instrumentation on Discovery. My favorite is the distorted guitar on “Aerodynamic,” but the keyboard on “Veridis Quo” rivals MGMT’s “Kids” for catchiest keyboard melody ever.
Of course, synths rule the day. The synth part on “Digital Love” is absolutely magical. Did you know they’re actually doing the vocals on it? For some reason I thought they always outsourced their vocals.
Listening to songs like “Nightvision” or “Voyager” made me think this whole album was designed for a movie or video game. In fact, Daft Punk released an album movie for this record two years after it was released. Titled Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (wow, that’s hard to type out correctly), it follows a group of four superheroes that save the universe. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Some of the songs, like “Face to Face,” are even more epic when you put them in context with an anime.
Fun fact about “High Life”: there was much debate amongst fans as to where the addictive sample came from, since Daft Punk didn’t credit it in the liner notes. Sleuths eventually figured out that it’s lifted from “Break Down for Love” by the Tavares. Is there any group of people more hardworking than crazy music people? I don’t think so.
Daft Punk recently broke up, which is a bit of a bummer. But hey, there’s some dignity in that. They released four perfect albums and then rode off into the sunset. Wonder what they’re up to now.
Other Highlights: The beeps on “Crescendolls.” The drum intro on “Superheroes.” The sexy groove on “Something About Us.” “Short Circuit” reminded me of De La Soul, for some reason. “Too Long” is a ten-minute song that doesn’t feel too long at all.
IS RS FULL OF IT? Well, I kind of wish Homework was on the list…
