Daft Punk - Discovery
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Free Music Notes for Discovery
Free Music Review: Perfect for the first time daft-er
Hit: 5 Stars
Even if you bought this record just for it's liquefied metal cover, you would not be disappointed. This is truly a fantastic album in every sense of the word. And the techniques used in the creation were just fabulous. One of the things my friend said when he first heard me playing it was "the samples sound so CLEAN!" And they do. Every sample has been processed at incredibly high quality, there is no "Lo-Fi" on this record. The entire record is permeated with funky-style samples that you swear you know but just can't seem to place. Every song has some fantastic SOMETHING about it:1.One More Time - the perfect party track! a thick thumping bassline and everybody-that's-not-a-raver's-view of the raver world lyrics -:)-, catches your attention immediately.
2.Aerodynamic - by far, the most significant bit on this track is the squealing pseudo-guitar solo. It may be simple, but it sounds REALLY COOL!
3.Digital Love - early 80's motivational tapes samples with cheesy vocoded lyrics = something still meaningful? To be honest, it's still fun to listen to, despite it's cheesiness.
4.Harder, Better Faster, Stronger - one of my favorite songs on the record. Easy to dance to, but it features one of the most incredible things I've ever heard. To understand you have to know what a vocoder is. A vocoder is a device that takes your voice, specifically the vibrations in your voice, and converts it to the tone of the instrument it is attached to, which is almost ALWAYS a keyboard for simplicity. What's really neat about Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, is that at 2:25, the vocoder is switched over to an odd device that triggers it by a guitar. It's especially obvious at certain points, where the player is playing a really neat solo. Truly interesting to hear.
5. Crescendolls - A little odd at first, but it's got the throw-your-arms-in-the-air "HEY!" sample going on. A lot of fun, eh?
6. Nightvision - a slow, short instrumental track, but still extremely well put together. I wish it were longer with some vocals.
7. Superheroes - When I looked at the sample list for the record, and saw "Barry Manilow - Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed?" I wondered "what the heck?!" But when you hear the track, and the thumping bassline and beat and "love is in the air" echoing over and over it really makes sense and the song is a lot of fun.
8. Night Life - Brings back memories of disco! And that's always a good thing, right?
9. Something About Us - Listening to the beginning of the track I was expecting Barry White to start singing. A nice slow mellow groove.
10. Voyager - A little distortion on the bassline kept it interesting.
11. Verdis Quo - After you get by the somewhat slow intro, it starts getting kind of neat, and you want to keep listening. The layers get thicker each minute, and by the end it's a real sonic jubilee.
12. Short Circuit - I can't really say anything in favour of this song, neither could amazon.
13. Face To Face - This will HAVE to be the next one on the radio! I've already remixed this into an extended version and played it at some parties where we play a lot more old-school funk and stuff. The version on the record is about 3 and a half minutes, my version was nearly 9 minutes, and still when it ended people acted dissapointed because they were getting so into the groove. I love this song!
14. Too Long - when I first saw the length of the song, I thought the title was a joke! Ten minutes? An epic pop-techno song? But yes, it's an incredibly well done track, and as Romanthony says in the lyrics, it's really been "too long" since we've heard from the Daft Punk.
In all, this is truly a fantastic record with a lot of vision. A combination of funk, pop, disco, and techno, this isn't techno up front, and it doesn't claim to be. In fact, it doesn't CLAIM to be anything. Whatever it is, it's REALLY good at being it.
Free Music Review: Daft Punk can make some music
Hit: 5 Stars
Daft Punk's album, "Discovery," explores many concepts in electronic music. Some general electronic music techniques that are very apparent in the album include: sampling, generation electronic sounds, use of filters (low pass/high pass/band pass), vocoding, and altering the pitch and speed of sounds. Looking at the album from a historical perspective, it is easy to see the influences of both Musique concrete and Elektronische Musik.
Through the perspective of Musique Concrete, one of the works that most clearly parallels this album is Pierre Henry's "Psyché Rock." For both, sampling is used heavily in order to create a very prominent chord progression resulting in a very catchy tune. Sampling is a big part of Musique Concrete, and Daft Punk samples many of their sounds in this album. This allows for elements of sound not traditionally thought of as "musical" in their works. This idea was originally pioneered by Pierre Schaeffer. The samples which Daft Punk uses are modified in many ways, some of which include: reversing, distorting, and changing the pitch/speed.
When looking at the album from the perspective of Elektronische Musik, the best example to compare it to is Karlheinz Stockhausen's "Gesang der Jünglinge." In Stockhausen's composition he uses a mix of both sampled sounds, in this case young boys' voices, and computer generated sounds such as sine waves and click tracks. This album can best be described as a combination of sampled sounds and electronically generated sounds, as Stockhausen had done. "Discovery" can best be described as a mix of the ideologies of Musique Conrete and Elektronische Musik.
Looking at specific songs allows for a better look into the specific techniques Daft Punk uses:
In the song "One More Time," Daft Punk makes heavy use of vocoding, also known as Auto-Tune. Many other songs on the album also make use of vocoding, including "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger." In both of these songs, the words themselves become the rhythm through the use of various filters and changing duration of the sounds. This allows the songs to sound very syncopated at certain points, contributing to the musicality of the song.
In "Aerodynamic," a heavily processed guitar solo takes prominence. This is building off of Musique Concrete's idea of modifying samples in order to give a new sound: in this case a blazing fast guitar solo. The solo would be difficult to play on a regular electric guitar; part of the appeal of electronic music is to be able to hear sounds that would be difficult, if not impossible, to play on a real instrument.
It is very apparent in the live versions of songs from "Discovery" is that the concerts are part of the musical experience. From the robotic outfits they wear on stage to the aurora of the concert, all the components are meant to add to the musical nature of the performance. Daft Punk's live performances are also captivating in that they are remixes of their songs. This gives their live performances a new musical experience. This shows that not only is Daft Punk a duo of great recording artists, but live performers as well.
Looking at the album from a non-technical perspective, the tunes are catchy and easy to dance to. If electronic music is your thing, this album won't steer you wrong.
Free Music Review: Wow!
Hit: 5 Stars
Truly, after Daft Punk's huge smash, "Around The World", no one knew what to expect from these guys. That video was all-around strange, and the song was entrancing and addictive. They followed it up with the eclectic "One More Time". There really isn't much to the song, but it's marvelously poppy house music. One of the best forays into the genre, actually, because it features just about every aspect of what makes house music fun. The soulful lyrics, the engrossing bassline, and the thumping 4/4 beat. This song is so beautifully simplistic that you can't help but bop along and sing to it. And then there's the video...who could forget the video? A futuristic world, complete with happy small people, flock to a concert featuring aesthetically pleasing band members (and a small person on drums) playing, you guessed it, "One More Time". Did I mention this video is drawn anime-style? The slow bits are all 80's montage style, and it's just funky and fun. But wait, what's this? Invaders, right at the end? And yeah, that's where it appeared to have stopped.
Now I have to take a moment and talk about something else. I cannot actually review this album without taking a few minutes to talk about one of the coolest musical experiences of my recent past. Interstella 5555 is the anime completely drawn to the album Discovery. This movie follows the travels of this aesthetically pleasing band, as the invaders come and capture the stars and remove them to a far distant planet: Earth. Security at the invaded planet has just enough time to send out a distress call in the shape of an electric guitar, which gets to a ship shaped like an electric guitar. Not before we get a chance to meet the pilot, who, it seems, is obsessed with the pretty lady guitarist. He follows the ship, and crashes on earth. The band members are taken and systematically made human (they were blue before), given sunglasses with sensors that appear to be mind control devices, and set to become the next huge thing in the world market, musically speaking. Even their memories have been reconditioned so they believe they truly are human. It's an amazing experience, and I recommend it to anyone and everyone.
So back to the album. The general feel-good feeling continues across the 14 tracks, whether through lilting melodies or nigh-grunge power chords. Some tracks have vocals, others do not. But the overwhelming feeling throughout the CD is definitely, "HAPPY". They define themselves with songs like "Something About Us", "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", and "Digital Love". Actually, the middle track is something of a precursor for the strange song "Technologic", which is featured on their most recent album. It's such a strange song, it features fragmented lyrics that eventually blend together to create coherent sentences and melodies. The song is composed of almost mechanical beats and sounds, and it only compliments the creepy robot-like vocals. The album continues into the overwhelmingly exciting "Crescendolls", which features a rising crescendo and an all-too-happy crowd going, "Yay!" "Woo!". Other great songs are "Face to Face", and "Too Long" which is actually 10 minutes long. It is absolutely engrossing though, the 10 minutes never seeming long *enough* by the time it is done. I cannot rave about this album enough!
A, hands down.
Free Music Review: Superb!!
Hit: 5 Stars
Since the release of the excellent single "One More Time",I've been anticipating the release of this c.d. eagerly.If I was to sum this c.d. up very briefly for Daft Punk fans-it's a lot more One More Time,then the previous c.d. Homework.In fact there is very,very little of the sound of Homework on this c.d.Okay 14 tracks running close to one hour;8 of these are instrumental.The tracks with vocals are pretty much all done with vocoder and this is shared by Daft Punk themselves and two guest vocalists-who actually all sound pretty similar.The tracks are all way shorter then those on their last c.d. except for the closing track "Too Long".I'd heard all sorts of sneak previews that Daft Punk were going way different on this c.d.Some said pure 70's disco,others Euro-Disco and still others said it would be quite like their Gallic compatriots Air.I have to say that none of these predictions were wrong,yet none of them were accurate either.It's a mixture of those 3 influences that I mentioned above and throw in the odd trance track and a bit of Jean-Michel Jarre.I know it must be annoying to be comparing them to other French artists,but most people would have to admit they have a very distinctive sound.One thing this c.d. certainly is not,is hardcore Techno-it's a million miles from that in my opinion.In fact one could describe this c.d. as almost having a real lightweight sound.I've been listening to this for 2 weeks now and I can't make up my mind as to whether this c.d. is too 'cheesey' in an Eiffel 65,Euro-Disco style or if it's magnificent.I seem to be coming to the opinion that it's a really,really excellent c.d.I feel there is something here for every fan of dance music-except maybe hardcore industrial fans-to enjoy.This duo seem so accomplished at many styles of Dance/Disco and Instrumental music.
The music seems to have been influenced more by the music of the 70's and early 80's rather then the 90's.Apart from the obvious Chic influence there are influences from artist's like 10CC,Supertramp and there is even a sample from Barry Manilow.Many of the instrumental tracks sound very like Air-especially their Moon Safari c.d.All of the songs have immediate accessibility;like this is pretty commercial dance music and it doesn't take long to get into all the tracks.The production quality is just amazing-probably the best I've heard in a long time.So for those who like their music hit very crisp and clear and with no distortion at all then you'll like it.When they do add lyrics to the songs,they are extremely syrupy in the romance stakes,but then I don't think people were ever go to like or dislike this c.d. on the basis of lyrical content. So all in all I'm going to give this c.d. a 4/5/ rating.Yet I'm still not sure that I may look back in a years time and say this is too smooth and M.O.R.My one recommendation for people thinking of buying this c.d. would be to listen to as many tracks as possible to get a feel for the overall sound.I think you'll either love this or hate it-I just can't see a middle ground.Right now I love it!
P.S.-I love the "Daft Card"(like a credit card) given with the c.d.-a very nice touch!
Free Music Review: Masterpiece.
Hit: 5 Stars
What better showcase of technosonic music than Daft Punk's album, Discovery. Each song brings a different collection of beats and textures that automatically get you off your seat and never leave you bored. Although I do admit the lyrics are barely impressive, the intricacy and attention to the electronic music and its overall composition makes up for it. Overall, the songs in this album include a wide array of nicely-done electronic sounds and addictive technosonic beats that keep the listener wanting more.
As the beginning of Crescendolls plays, all I can think about is the Jewish rapper SoCalled playing on his sampler in front of my music class. Percussive beats are recorded, samples are taken, and buttons are pushed to come up with a brilliant concoction of techno sounds. I can't help but think that a similar method was used in composing this song. One layer is added to another until a good composition results, while the sample "HEY" and "everybody y'all" adds an extra variant to the piece. The repetition, although it should be obnoxious at thought, is nothing but catchy.
Aerodynamic is another song that does the album well. The only thing that I don't particularly like and that confuses me is the church bells gonging, which makes me anticipate monks chanting. Besides that, there are so many elements in the song that deserve recognition. Once the beat picks up, the panning from left to right with the synthesizer automatically and easily lets me forgive the awkward beginning. More surprising is the bridge in the middle, when the modern song full of synths and computer music takes it back to the earlier days of technosonic music by playing an instrument whose sound very much resembles that of the Hammond organ. Interesting sounds to put together, but somehow they work well.
The last song I'd like to touch on in this album is One More Time. This is probably one of the more popularly played songs, loved by both young and old for good reason. From the upbeat tempo to the feel-good lyrics, this song is definitely one for the ages. Listening closely, the FM synthesizer is clearly put to good use in this track. Starting with a fast tempo, then slowing it down towards the middle only brings the energy to a higher level as the beats pick up again. From a historical perspective, this ambient feel halfway through the song is very reminiscent of John Chowning's Stria, which was one of the first songs to be made using the FM synthesizer. Even in the beginning, it seems like a phase vocoder was used to remove some of the frequencies in the sound. Variations like these that Daft Punk brilliantly places in their pieces help bring their compositions to higher levels.
As an album altogether, Discovery is the ultimate dance party playlist. Each song has its own catchy words and the technosonic sounds implemented by the synthesizers provides the perfect ensemble of sounds to get you up and moving. Even the vocoding on the voices gives the album another element to applause. Overall, I admire Daft Punk for their brilliant understanding of beat composition and electronic sound variations.