Monthly Archives: May 2013

May16

Review: Random Access Memories – Daft Punk

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Album Review by Juhi Matta

Random Access Memories – Daft Punk (Daft Life / Columbia, 2013)

My Rating: 5/5

Standout tracks: Doin’ It Right (feat. Panda Bear), Lose Yourself to Dance (feat. Pharrell Williams), Give Life Back to Music

Comedian Tom Scharpling recently tweeted, “This new Daft Punk album better have healing powers if it’s gonna live up to the hype”. He did have a valid point. Ever since the band’s Coachella teaser for Random Access Memories, it seemed like you couldn’t be on the internet without seeing something about Daft Punk.

About a month ago, I gave in and (finally) got around to listen to Daft Punk’s discography and was pleasantly surprised. As someone who’s never been a fan of electronic music, I hardly expected myself to like their music, but I still did. I, too, started growing excited for the release of Random Access Memories.

On May 13, when the French duo’s newest album was streamed on iTunes, everyone was surprised at how different it was from their previous efforts. Where the robots’ music was previously characterized by its instrumental nature and extensive sampling, Random Access Memories uses live vocals and no samples (except on the track “Contact”, with DJ Falcon). The band join forces with a series of collaborators like Panda Bear (Animal Collective), Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Nile Rodgers (CHIC), Pharrell Williams (N*E*R*D) and Giorgio Moroder among others. The result? Tracks that are groovy, yet mellow and even melancholic at times.

On the standout track, “Doin’ It Right (feat. Panda Bear)”, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo chant “Doing it right / Everybody will be dancing and we’re / Feeling it right” through vocoders as Panda Bear takes the front seat. Having never heard any of Panda’s solo work, I was pleasantly surprised at his vocals, especially considering the fact that the track was almost impromptu. The opening track of the album, “Give Life Back to Music”, is yet another strong point of the LP. Nile Rodgers plays the guitar as Daft Punk sing (through vocoders, of course) about bringing life back to musique. “Give Life Back to Music”, “Lose Yourself to Dance (feat. Pharrell Williams)” and “Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams)” are probably the most Daft Punk-y tracks on the album.

The album isn’t without surprises, though. Random Access Memories features many ballads and introspective pieces like “The Game of Love”, “Within” and “Beyond”. While the tracks are not like the duo’s previous works, they’re still a great listen.

The only thing working against Random Access Memories, however, might be the hype surrounding it. Daft Punk’s meticulous promotional campaign for their first real studio album in eight years made people hope for a Discovery 2.0. Is Random Access Memories Discovery 2.0? No. Is it just as good? Yes.

Does it have healing powers? Only time will tell.

May8

Review: Modern Vampires of the City – Vampire Weekend

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Album Review by Juhi Matta

Modern Vampires of the City – Vampire Weekend (XL, 2013)

My Rating: 4.5/5

Standout tracks: Finger Back, Diane Young, Unbelievers

Anyone who keeps up with indie pop music has probably heard a lot of (or about) Vampire Weekend in the last few months. The band’s new album, Modern Vampires of the City, has been the talk of the town ever since it was announced. Vampire Weekend have gone to great lengths to promote them — ranging from live shows and interviews to a video series with Steve Buscemi. Yes, you read that right.

From the very first listen, Vampire Weekend’s third LP is infectious. I immediately found myself trying to sing along with vocalist Ezra Koenig, even though I’d never heard most of the songs before. It’s immediately clear that Modern Vampires of the City was well worth the wait.

The album starts off on an almost melancholic note. On the opening track, “Obvious Bicycle”, Koenig sings “It’s been twenty years and no one’s told the truth”, setting the tone for the album. While Modern Vampires of the city is far from being “sad”, it’s happy tunes still mask darker undertones than the band’s previous works. Lyrically, the album is much different from 2008’s “Vampire Weekend” and 2010’s “Contra”. Where Koenig sang about not giving a fuck about an oxford comma and campus encounters, he now sings “The gloves are off / The wisdom teeth are out” and “I feel it in my bones / I’m stronger now”. This wisdom and maturity is obvious in the band’s latest effort.

Tracks like “Diane Young” and “Unbelievers” which were released/performed earlier remain the highlights off the album. A surprisingly refreshing track on the LP is “Finger Back”, which contains a spoken part about an orthodox girl in love with a falafel vendor. Somehow, this ends up being one of the best things the band has done, I kid you not.

“Hudson” is another noteworthy track on the album. The track, which sounds like it belongs on a thriller movie’s soundtrack, is probably the darkest song Vampire Weekend have ever released. On “Hudson”, Koenig sings about  British explorer Henry Hudson’s death and still manages to make it sound wonderful.

The album does have a few weak points, though. The studio version of “Ya Hey” features heavy production on the chorus. While the track is still enjoyable, the magic of the live versions of the track with bassist Chris Baio singing is lost.

However, Modern Vampires of the City still shines in every possible way. Each track is different, yet familiar. It’s a perfect listen for a road trip or a beautiful day and definitely one of the best albums I’ve heard in months.