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Random Access Memories CD by Daft Punk Review

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It's here! Daft Punk's highly anticipated new thirteen track album "Random Access Memories" has finally arrived. But the question I'm sure you're all asking is: “is it worth my time?" Well, luckily we here at All Good Things make it our business to help you answer just that. We have listened to the new CD in its entirety and now, for your convenience, we have prepared a track by track breakdown of the whole album so you can hopefully better decide whether "Random Access Memories" is for you.

1. Give Life Back To Music
Setting the tone of the album early on is this nu-disco track that, while not pushing any boundaries, is pleasant enough and has some energy behind it. 

2. Game of Love
Slowing things down a little, this entry is one for the ladies, or at least when the ladies are around if you follow. It's smooth and has some wistful lyrics  

3. Giogrio By Moroder
Opening with a little anecdote about George's past and how important the synthesizer has been to his music making process, this one uses both modern and 70's style synthesizer sounds to move between acid jazz territory & back again.

4. Within
Continuing with the jazzy sound of of the previous track, this one is much more loungy with piano & of course again synth bending along with a simple analogue drum beat & Daft Punk's signature styled vocals over top.

5. Instant Crush [BETTER]
One of the catchier & more accessible tracks on all of "Random Access Memories".  It mixes wanky electric guitar thrown in for good measure and a hook that can easily get stuck in your head if you're not careful.

6. Lose Yourself To Dance
Taking a break from the vocoder, this track has some falsetto vocals with okay some vocoder on backup but the rest of the samples are also mostly analogue. Although almost exclusively dance tracks, if there's one track on this album I'd have pegged as its club single, this would be it.

7. Touch
This could best be described as spacey and what the inside of Daft Punk's stomach must sound like. It starts off as dissonant but builds and layers into harmonies and melodies. It's not instantly accessible like "Instant Crush" but enjoyable upon multiple listening.

8. Get Lucky [BEST]
And we're back to nu-disco. It's pleasant and also a contender for this album's big club single but there's not much more that can be said about it beyond that.

9. Beyond
Now this track is different, it begins with sweeping orchestral music before moving into a funky jam with slide guitar of all things. I've heard people mix urban and country sounds before and it works again here.

10. Motherboard
If you're expecting this one to be really lo-fi, think again. This does use some of that but mostly its sound is built around acoustic guitar, violin, flutes and a subtly tribal drum beat for an ambient, instrumental experience which I always enjoy.

11. Fragments of Time
Again this has an almost country sound to it but now its mixed with adult contemporary. If you were looking for a tune to introduce your mom or dad to Daft Punk with, this would be the one.

12. Doin' It Right (feat Panda Bear) [BESTEST]
This I like. It's low fi, has phat bass & blends that with a sense of new wave. It sounds like a mash-up more than anything and I am a sucker for a good mash-up.

13. Contact [BETTER]
After so many four-four drum loops in this album, "Random Access Memories" closes with a refreshing & envigorating break beat through a traditional drum set with a wall of noise that builds to a crescendo before drifting off.

As you can see from the notes in brackets, if I to pick out personal favorites they would be "Instant Crush" & "Contact" but most of all "Doin' It Right.” Overall, "Random Access Memories" is a laid back collection of
nu-disco with a bit of an electronic and jazzy edge and a lot of vocorder. If you're a fan of any of these sounds or genres, then this album would definitely be worth your time and it is available now through all your traditional music outlets, as a whole or by piecemeal if you prefer. 


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