Daft Punk - Human After All
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Free Music Notes for Human After All
Free Music Review: Daft Punk shows us what it's like to be Human After All
Hit: 5 Stars
You have to look at this album with an open mind. I heard some bad things about this album, but I approached it with a very open mind free of any expectations. I'd say I came away from my first listen quite satisfied and definitely wanting more. This album is NOT Homework and it is definitely NOT Discovery, so get that out of your head before you even buy the album (and please do, it is worth buying this one). It is, however, better than a lot of the stuff that's being put out these days.
Not too many people were impressed with Discovery when it first came out, which I never really understood. It seems to be a continuing trend to dislike Daft Punk's latest work and Human After All seems to be no different, but while I don't believe this album is as good as Discovery or Homework... it is different and change is good. Just goes to show Daft Punk are still pioneering what little is left to pioneer in dance music. Don't expect the Discovery sound, don't expect the Homework sound... expect Human After All.
Human After All - A good track for the intro. It seems pretty repetitive, but it is very infectious and quite unique sounding with a brilliant blending of the trademark vocoder vocals and the guitar.
Primetime of Your Life - A fairly short track, but a really really good one. I believe its main purpose is to build up to Robot Rock... which it does quite nicely. It starts off very psychadelic and then moves into a gradually quickening beat which eventually becomes too fast to comprehend before it comes out and introduces us all to Robot Rock.
Robot Rock - The 'featured track' of the album is so infectious and, well, rockin... you'll have it stuck in your head for days. Definitely an enjoyable track. It has a guitar 'lead' loop that never really seems to get old with backing drums that fit perfectly. Vocoderized vocals again here that blend in with the guitar.. sounds incredibly cool in its effect.
Steam Machine - Awesome. Strikes me as a fairly dark and groovin track but I'm not even sure how to describe this one. You have to hear it.
Make Love - This albums version of Something About Us, I would say. Features an interesting blend of guitar plucks, piano, and drum kit... but the vocals are more background ambience than anything. Really nice track.
The Brainwasher - Really an insane track from the very beginning. I'd definitely say this is in the same vein as Superheroes, but as with Make Love, it is similar but very much in its own unique way. This one will make your head spin, very intoxicating.
On/Off - Nothing really to say, just a segue into Television Rules the Nation. Different voices, different languages, channel changing, then the TV turns off.
Television Rules the Nation - This is the hardest track for me to get into on the album. It's pretty simplistic in the beginning, featuring an alternating 4/4 house beat of bass and deep punchy snare. A heavy guitar-synth sound comes in with some vocoder vocals, but I'd have to say it doesn't really add much to the track. The drop comes around 2:40, but doesn't accomplish anything really. The track may grow on me, but this is my initial take on it. Least favorite track on the album.
Technologic - From the beginning the track resembles a mixture of several tracks off Homework. As it progresses it begins to take on its own form. Track grows on you quick. It's not too complex really, I'd say the beauty of this track is in its simplicity really.
Emotion - Daft Punk always has (well at least on their past 2 albums) closed their albums with brilliance (Alive and Too Long being among my favorite Daft Punk songs). Emotion gets off to a fairly slow start for its 7 minute frame. It's definitely one of those somber endings to the album. This one will likely grow on you faster than Television Rules the Nation will, but at first listen it's not too remarkable. Features an effected vocal throughout the track that only says "emotion," which at times does sound very cool. The track may just chug along too slow for its own good, but I'd have to say that I like it.
Five Stars because in the end, this really is a brilliant album and a great addition to the Daft Punk collection. If you've ever heard any of Daft Punk's DJ mix sets or have seen them live then you know how varied their own musical taste is. This album only expands upon what they can do as composers and producers of original music. I can't stress this enough, you have to look at this album with open eyes and listen with open ears. In three years I will probably still be playing this as much as I play Discovery and Homework now. Don't let the hype fool you, Human After All is a good album - a very Daft Punk record.
Free Music Review: Do the robot
Hit: 5 Stars
Expectations are a funny thing. It was expectation that made me buy this album as soon as it was in stores, and it was the same expectation that led me to feel -- at first -- a little disappointed.
Disappointment in music is nothing new, especially if you pay too much attention to critics. If an album's too much like the one before it, they're in a rut. Too different and they've lost their way. Daft Punk managed to turn a lot of critics on their heads with "Discovery", most that gave it middle of the road reviews have since changed their tune, thankfully addmitting that Homework Part 2 would have been too simple. But still many were and still are uncomfortable, mislabelling the fleshing out of their sound as going mainstream. I'm sure I would have tired of One More Time if I actually listened to the radio, but if you tune into Top 40 you get what you deserve.
When "Human After All" landed, you could cut the anticipation with a knife. A lot of the negative reviews I've seen branch off from a literal interpretation of the title before it even saw light. People everywhere were looking forward to a more vibrant, living, breathing Daft Punk. We might be treated to that in another few years, we might not. It's not important. Daft Punk did the classy thing and decided not to make another Discovery. They made new fans with that album, and that's great, I can't think of another act that deserved a bigger fan base more than them. When I first heard their latest, I couldn't find the heart. I fell into the trap of assuming they took the easy way out, and cooked some passable beats to get an album out.
But time makes fools of us all, and it didn't take too long for me to fall in love with "Human After All". Like Rollin' & Scratchin' and Short Circuit before them, the songs here have no immediate bells and whistles, and I won't lie; if you don't have patience for good music the slow burn of these songs will mean nothing. That said, this is definately the third album that Daft Punk needed to make. We've all heard the stories by now about how little time was spent crafting them, but that's expectations getting in the way again.
Daft Punk have gone from amazing underground act, to shining stars of French house, and back again; deeper, darker, more subtle. This album grew on me, but I can't promise everyone will feel it. What I do know is that if you want to hear some very nice ideas, with a distinct Daft Punk vibe, then this is an essential album.
Key tracks:
+ Robot Rock
+ The Prime Time Of Your Life
+ The Brainwasher
Free Music Review: A Welcomed Return
Hit: 5 Stars
You know just the other day I was fantasizing about a brand new Daft Punk studio album and today while perusing the record store I found it with 'Human After All'.That being the case I was expecting a record with alot of music with the heavy 70's and 80's R&B and electro funk references on 2001's 'Discovery',
only taken to the next level.Only on the way home listening on the car CD player did I realize that this is a very different kind of album in that the two men in the group have picked up electric guitars now.Therefore the musical influences here are more in 70's and 80's light punk and new wave.In fact parts of it I would describe as punk-house such as the opening title track,"Technologic" and the heavy handed "The Brainwasher" as having the insistant rhythm of classic new wave and of course those spikey new wave synthesizer's.Of course Daft Punk add some of their own kind of signiture style into many of the songs.Namely among them are the single "Robot Rock"-a fierce funk-rock beat merged with a great synth solo and guitar riff.
"The Prime Of Your Life" actually has a very strong vocal hook and is married to a great shuffling rhythm."Make Love" harkens back to the slower R&B type grooves of their last CD while "Steam Machine" and "Emotion" have a strong underlying ambient quality to them."Television Rules The Nation" brings up a medium tempo dance beat with a smugly humerous lyric tag.
So that explains the music of 'Human After All',so why all the bad reviews I see here?None of Daft Punk's three studio albums have been anything alike-1997's 'Homework' sounded like a set of sound experiments that succeeded beyond the wildest expectations,'Discovery' refined and worked at perfecting the sound and this album finds this pair of DJ's having finally developed a fully realized sound and,for once actually having a better idea of how to run the equiptment they're using-unlike the first two albums you won't here any random knob switching or
major sound mistakes here-the sound is still experimental and innovative but alot more professional.And any fans who insist on tossing this CD aside now sound give this now brand new CD some time to settle into the mind.And then I imagine it will be sure to please the ear.
Free Music Review: Back to the Roots
Hit: 5 Stars
Finally this third album from my favorite electro band Daft Punk is released. It was in 2001 when their latest album arrived, unless you count in the remix album "Daft Club" last year. This is a very good album full of great songs, but if you think it would sound like the radio friendly "Discovery" with lyrics and slow meliodic sounds then you will get dissapointed here, Daft Punk are going back to their roots and this album with the exception of 2 slow ballad like songs, the majority of songs here are pure Electro, like the majority of the songs from their debut "Homework". "Human After all" is ironically dominated by robotic voices and electro sound. A very entertaining album to listen too, just see how much you can do with modern technique in music.
The title song "Human After All" is a funky electro song with a kraftwerk esque voice saying "We are Human After All". "The Prime Time of Our Life" sound a bit like the first. Cool sound, and robotic voices, much rougher though. "Robot Rock" will probably be the first single release, it's the best song of the album. Very catchy sound and reminds me abit of the sound of "Discovery". "Steam Machine" is another exprimental electro song. It does sound like a steam machine and there is a whispering voice saying steam sounding almost like steam.
For all of you that loves the beautiful chillout music of dance, then "Make Love" is for you, a truly wonderful song. "The Brainwacher" is rough with fast electro beats, defenitely a party song to play loud. "On-Off" isn't a song, it last for only 19 seconds. "Television Rules The Nation" is yet another Kraftwerk sounding song. "Technology" is about what you can do with modern computers, a chip n dale sounding voice tells you everything you would like to do. The album closes with yet another wonderful chillout song "Emotion" which is even better then "Make Love" and it's almost 7 minutes. A very good finnish.
At first I wanted to hear some more lyrics on the songs and more songs, it took them four years to record 9 songs on the new album. However, the sound is exprimental and very exciting and all of the songs are great. Daft Punk is still the undisputed Electro band #1. Defenitely recommended.
Free Music Review: Emotion
Hit: 5 Stars
Alot of people said that this album was repetetive, well if your into House music you would be use to beats repeating over and over again anyways even though this is not a house album it's still awesome featuring some nice guitar playing by Daft Punk.
The song "Human After All" is defintly my favorite song off the album, even time I listen I imagine me riding in a motorcycle in the night. The guitars and robot vocals just takes you into a futuristic world, where robots and humans unite.
"The Primetime of Your Life" is a song I can't really relate, but it's still a pretty good song.This song can take you to a dark and scary place, where everyone is depending on you.
"Robot Rock" is that song that you just have rock out to, the bass is crazy. Even though Daft Punk only took a sample and replaced the lyrics I still love it, this song that got me into Electro.
"Steam Machine" is a song that I only listen to when I'm mad, I don't listen to this song often though.
"Make Love" is probably one of the best songs in the world, it's so sad. When I listen to this one I imagine me getting older and how I'm just wasting my life just living off of movies because you know that you may never find that true love.
"The Brainwasher" is when I feel that the Governments are brainwashing us with lies.
when I listen to "Television Rules The Nation" I look at my life and how I'm just living off of movies and TV. The guitars in this track is addicting.
I'm pretty sure everyone knows "Technologic" Busta Rhymes sampled it, it was used in the IPOD comercial, and people danced to it many times on television. This is the only song on the album that sounds kind of like Daft Punk's old stuff.
Finally we have "Emotion" the song I listen to when I'm depressed. The song is very sad and the robots voice just makes everything even sadder.
Well what can I say, but that Human After All was not a let down it.