My review of | Daft Punk - Random Access Memories | after 24 hours

Quick little write up. I focused on the tracks I really enjoyed.

The three songs that feature Nile Rodgers share a similar vibe- one of dirty, raw funk riffs and robotic vocoders. Lighthearted and bright, these are most fun tracks on the album. “Give Life Back to Music” utilizes the correct forumla as an opener and sets the vibe. “Lose Yourself to Dance” has Skateboard P channeling his inner MJ and ranks as one of the album’s most danceable sections. “Get Lucky” is well on its way to being a smash hit (and the best one on the Billboard Top 40 in a long time), although I wish there was more robot and less Pharrell. The robot section that starts at 3:26 is still the most infectious part of the entire album.

The closing five tracks are outstanding and truly champion sound. On that note, the entire album technically sounds phenomenal, a terrific example of superior audio engineering.

“Beyond” has a nice, gentle arrangement while “Motherboard” sounds like a lost Boards of Canada track (which is a good thing). “Fragments of Time” features a solo from the same thread as the one in "Digital Love." Overall a great song. Todd Edwards’ vocals may be the most “loungey” of the entire album, but work in the context of the song. Really enjoyed this one.

Of all the collaborators announced for Random Access Memories I was most excited about Panda Bear and “Doin’ It Right” does not disappoint. It really is Daft Punk meets Animal Collective, and I’ll leave it at that.

“Contact”. As a jam band fan it is impossible to not rock the frick out to this one. Pure cosmic space rock. Guy Manuel in particular goes fricking ballistic on the drums. Great ender to a great album.

Throughout the album I can’t help while listening and attempting to identify a way to describe the music I am hearing and the only thing I can come up with is “what the frick is this?” It certainly isn't house music. The voiceover in “Giorgio by Moroder” does a stellar job explaining how they tried to fit in the sounds of each decade while adding a touch of the future.

I listened to the album in full both on a bike ride and long car ride. I am looking forward to hearing it in a social setting to see how a crowd reacts to it, which I feel like is where Daft Punk really shines. It is no coincidence that they dropped this on the eve of summer.

Get this album.