Review: Random Access Memories – Daft Punk

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.

Review: Comedown Machine – The Strokes

Album Review by Juhi Matta

Comedown Machine — The Strokes
(RCA, 2013)

My Rating: 4.5/5

Standout tracks: Welcome to Japan, Slow Animals, Partners In Crime

Dictionary.com defines comedown as “a feeling of disappointment or depression”.
Fortunately, The Strokes’ fifth LP doesn’t stay true to its name.

When The Strokes released the synth-heavy track “One Way Trigger”, fans were blindsided. The song instantly polarized listeners. It was hard to believe that the track was sung by the same Julian Casablancas who belted out tunes like “Reptilia” and “New York City Cops”. Yet, the A-ha influenced One Way Trigger proved to be both fun and refreshing. Unlike anything the band had ever released, the song was more of a grower than an immediately catchy tune.

With the release of The Strokes’ fifth album, Comedown Machine, came even more conflicting opinions. Some have hailed it as their best album since 2001’s Is This It, but others opine that it is their worst. Comedown Machine is neither. Though the album is no Is This It, it is evident that the band didn’t intend to make another Is This It or Room on Fire. Where the charm of The Strokes’ critically acclaimed debut lay in it’s lo-fi approach, Comedown Machine relies on it’s slick and smooth tunes. The new album isn’t for fans yearning for Is This It part deux but is definitely an album for people looking for good music.

Tracks like “Welcome to Japan”, “Partners in Crime” and “Tap Out” stand out because of their wonderfully executed solos. The witty lyrics make the songs even more enjoyable. On the standout track “Welcome to Japan”, Casablancas asks, “What kind of asshole drives a Lotus?” not-so-subtly mocking those sports car owners. Yes, we all know at least one of those. On “Partners in Crime”, he muses “Let’s all be honest / Where there’s a forest / We don’t belong”. Many more witty one-liners (likes of which are frequently seen on the band’s Twitter) make appearances on the album.

For what it’s worth, Comedown Machine also contains throwbacks to The Strokes’ earlier works (the first official single, “All The Time” and “50/50”). However, the albums strengths clearly lie in tracks like “Slow Animals” where the band takes a risk. The track ends with the sound of Gus Oberg (producer) laughing, which demonstrates the sense of rediscovered camaraderie among the band — something visibly lacking in 2011’s Angles.

Comedown Machine is far from flawless, though. While tracks like “80’s Comedown Machine” and “Call It Fate, Call It Karma” are not bad, they still feel like they don’t belong on the album.

Even then, the album is a step in the right direction for the band. Where does that step lead? Only a Stroke would know. But as their contract with RCA comes to a close, one thing remains evident: The Strokes aren’t looking to please anyone or do the “cool” thing and sell millions of records.

And isn’t that what made them famous in the very first place?