<Witty Title Incorporating The Words 'Daft', 'Punk' and 'Discovery'> (Discovery - Daft Punk)

Member Name: samredmore

Product:	Discovery - Daft Punk
Date:	20/03/02 (475 review reads)
Rating:

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"Our music is not stupid happy house, but it makes people happy." - Daft Punk

'Happy'. No other word [within my, ahem, "fountain of knowledge"] best describes exactly the stuff we've come to know and love from Daft Punk (Thomas Bangalter & Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo). Ultimately uplifting. Honestly, if you find you happen to be feeling down in any way, slam on a bit of Punk de la Daft and things'll soon be rockin'. Oh and this stuff we've come to know and love? You'll find most of it on their second album, "Discovery". (Unless, of course, you're one of those who prefers "Homework" (their first album), in which case you'll find most of it on there. Or you're one of the fools who doesn't actually know and love Daft Punk like you should do, in which case you won't find it at all.)

But all was so different in the beginning...

As indie band 'Darling', the French duos' current name came about after Melody Maker magazine damned their Beach Boys' cover as "a bunch of Daft Punk", after which, in synchrony with their new name, came their new style; house. Debuting with "The New Wave", "Da Funk" was where things really started to take off, selling 30 000 copies worldwide, having being caned during The Chemical Brothers' live DJ sets.

Redefining the way in which French house music was looked upon with the groundbreaking success of their debut LP, "Homework" (featuring such tracks as "Revolution 909", the aforementioned "Da Funk" and classic disco house anthem, "Around The World") in 1997, selling over 2 million copies worldwide, Daft Punk then, err, kinda disappeared.

Disappeared that is, to all but the most avid fan. Oh, and those not-so-avid fans but who generally have an interest in house music. Oh, and also a fair few people who don't really have muc
h of an interest in house music but realise that Thomas Bangalter was one of the trio to take everywhere by storm over the summer of 1998 with Stardust's "Music Sounds Better With You".

Okay, okay, I s'pose I'm kinda waffling on now. So... to subject on hand: "Discovery" (released March 13th 2001, Virgin Records). The triumphant return of Daft Punk was realised in the summer of 2000, when test pressings of the first track on the new album, "One More Time" made their way to top DJs across the country (it appears mine must've been lost in the post or something...). Excessive Radio 1 airplay then somewhat spoiled the track for some, finally being released on December 5th 2000.

Alright, confession time.

I love "One More Time". Love it. I do now, anyway. As it happens, upon first few hearings of the track, I rather loathed it. Actually, not just 'rather' loathed it, but 'very much' loathed it. I did then, anyway. Y'see the uplifting, disco-fuelled element of the track (ie everything apart from the vocoder-processed vocal) was horribly overshadowed by the - of all things - vocoder-processed vocal (performed, coincidentally, by Romanthony). And a 'vocoder'? One of them potentially annoying electronic voice thingies which gives a computerised kinda effect to the vocal, as used on Cher's 'club' outing "Believe" and Armand Van Helden's (relatively) recent release, "Why Can't You Free Some Time For Me".

"Music's got me feeling so free
We're gonna celebrate
Celebrate and dance so free
One more time
Music's got me feeling so real
We're gonna celebrate
Celebrate and dance so free"

You know the one.

So what made me like the track so much then? I don't know. It went a little along these lines:

Stage 1) I don't like the track.
Stage 2
) I like the track.

All I know is that it's a damn fine piece. Oh, a damn fine happy piece to be more precise. Happy - very happy. (Told you their stuff was happy, did I not?).

The second track on the album, "Aerodynamic", an instrumental, also happens to be the second single released from the album. Apparently all tracks on the album, in the order in which they fall on the album, are to be released as singles. Not quite sure how this'll work with such sub-two minute outings as "Nightvision", but what do I know? For I am but a humble dooyoo writer.

Now then, "Aerodynamic" is one of those tracks that, generally, anyone who's heard has an opinion on it. Not just a "yeah, 'tis alright, s'pose" opinion, but an "I hate it" or "I love it" opinion. Four bell chimes (the chimes of Big Ben, as it happens), mark the start of the track, before the typically 'good' (for want of a better word) Daft Punk beats kick in. And then, oh...

Picture the scene: an electric guitar; an electric guitar solo. 'Nuff said.

As it happens, I quite like the guitar solo. I can, however, see exactly why so many others may not (and do not) feel likewise. Admittedly, it can get kinda grating, and if a top remixer such as myself were to be handed the opportunity to spice things up a little, the guitarist may well be the first to be shown the door.

Mellowing out for the second half of the track, following an abrupt bell chime, although good, certainly, I'm only left dreaming of what could have been.

Incidentally, for those single-buyers out there, the "Aerodynamic" B-side (12" vinyl version, anyway) features "Aerodynamite", a track very similar to "Aerodynamic" (even sampling the latter's melody to begin with), only slightly more pumping and - nicely, for some - with the omission of the guitars. Worth chec
king out.

Anyway, back to "Discovery", and, more precisely, the third track (and third single release) on the album, "Digital Love", which, according to the record/CD/tape sleeve, was co-written by top US jock DJ Sneak.

Upon first (and second and third and so on for a little while) hearing of "Digital Love" I was of the opinion that it seemed to be - to put it bluntly - rubbish. As with all things Daft Punk, however, it grew on me. Now I like it, I really do.

"Last night I had a dream about you
In this dream I'm dancing right beside you
And it looked like everyone was having fun
The kind of feeling I've waited so long"

And so on.

Okay, a more than slightly cheesy vocal. But I dunno, there's just something endearing about its unashamed cheesiness that really makes me like it so much.

The "why don't you play the game?" line shortly followed by a wailing guitar half-way through the track may be a little too much for those not so hardcore as myself, but as all builds to a soaring climax, where the guitars near killed "Aerodynamic" they do nothing but enhance what is already a purty spectacular track in "Digital Love".

I have a friend who bought the album on the strengths of this track alone. Needless to say, he loved just about everything else on it too, but going the whole hog after such a minute taster, I reckon says something about this particular 'taster's' goodness.

And so to the highlight of the album...

That's right, a guest appearance from none other than Scatman John himself, with Daft Punk's own re-rub of the classic "The Scatman".

Err; actually Scatman doesn't feature on the album at all. Sorry to disappoint.

And so in the absence of Man de la Scat, to the highlight of the album...

"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger&quo
t;

From a very minimalist opening to the track, bits and bobs gradually lend themselves to the mix, making for an incredibly funky offering until the track peaks amongst layers of distorted 'things'. (Sorry, begging for a better descriptive, I know - I'm talkin' but the right words just ain't comin' out. Or something like that.)

"Work it harder, make it better
Do it faster, makes us stronger
More than ever hour after
Hour work is never over"

With the above lyrics recycled throughout, "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", although ultimately a very simple idea, is executed to such brilliant effect it seems anything but.

Oh, one thing: please, if you do listen to this track, listen to it properly (ie really LISTEN, not just swack it on in the background whilst you do the hoovering or whatever). Y'see I didn't really, properly LISTEN to it when I first heard it (if you see what I mean), and I didn't give the track two hoots until I really concentrated on what was going on. I was pleasantly surprised at what I was hearing, though. So pleasantly surprised, in fact, that I listened to it again. And again. And again. And so on. And it still sounds just as good with every listen - sign of a quality track.

Yup, quality. Like a Quality Street.

Well, not like a Quality Street at all. But quality none the less.

Now then, following the album's high point, unfortunately, comes the album's low point, "Crescendolls". Essentially, not a bad track or nuffin' as such, but it is as the all too familiar "Crescendolls" beat kicks in that I find myself reaching, for the only time over the course of the album, for the 'skip' button on the MD player. Unfortunately I usually end up pressing the wrong button and skipping to the following album on the MD, Alice Deejay's "Who Needs Guitars Anyway?". The bottom-line
, however: "Crescendolls" is the only track on the album I dislike.

Note: I do not, as it happens, own Alice Deejay's motley selection of dairy products. Jus' making that clear, okay?

Y'know how I said to listen to "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" PROPERLY? Well, my advice would be to have "Crescendolls" on as background music as you do the hoovering or whatever. You see it's the kind of thing you can tolerate quite plausibly just as long as you don't listen too carefully, at which point it just becomes kind of annoying.

Maybe a Scatman John remix would redeem things, no?

"Nightvision", the next track, is a sub-two minute outing. You already knew that 'cause I mentioned it earlier in the opinion, right? Jeez, are you not reading this with due care or summat? Anyway, "Nightvision" is only 1 min 43, or something similar (pretty blimmin' short), and, it would appear, would act simply as filler for the album. It would, that is, if it wasn't so good.

A much more chilled affair than any previous outings on the album, "Nightvision" is the kind of thing you would put the CD on to specifically listen to, but is more the kind of welcome addition which just adds to the general quality of the CD as a whole.

Starting in one manner, continuing in such manner for a bit before fading out, there's not much more I can say about "Nightvision". 'Specially seeing how my descriptions have been going so far (eg 'electronic voice thingies', 'typically good', 'layers of distorted things' etc etc Get the idea? Good).

Interesting, interesting. Quite clearly, as I'm sure you were already aware, the opening two words of this paragraph were talking of none other than track number seven, "Superheroes".

Y'see what makes "Superheroes" so interesting is the way afte
r a military sort of drum roll (very cheesy military drum roll at that), a (very fast) hard house kind of beat kicks in before funky house samples (well, Barry Manilow samples, actually - but samples more often found in funky house) filter in over the top. See that? Hard house -- funky house; the two just don't go. Not usually, anyway.

Really the only place I can think of where you might find such genre clashes under one roof would be Dave Pearce's Dance Anthems (not good). "Superheroes" is good though. Very good.

You may have noticed that I mentioned the words 'happy' and 'uplifting' earlier in the opinion. Look at them words. You are now looking at two words that typify all to be found in "Superheroes". That's right; it's happy, it's uplifting - it's super [heroes].

Please note: the whole 'it's super [heroes]' bit was intentionally very poorly written and very cheesy. What's that you say? No, the rest of the opinion isn't supposed to be poorly written too. My, the cheek of it all...

Ahh, "Superheroes" was uplifting and happy. So is "High Life", even more so, however. In fact, "High Life" is one of THE most uplifting tracks I can think of in the whole wide world. Behind, "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", it's the pick of the album.

Put, on the sleeve, as an instrumental, a brief vocal snippet features very strongly throughout "High Life". In saying 'strongly', what is basically meant is that it is what makes the track what it is, really.

I haven't often taken to Daft Punk tracks immediately after hearing them for the first time. "High Life" has proved otherwise, however. First time I heard it, I loved it. A bit like love at first site. Only love at first hearing (doesn't quite have the same spark to it, it seems).

If the rumours of all tracks o
n the album to be released prove to be true, expect a very high (top 5-ish) entry from this particular gem. Having never actually asked anybody for his ir her opinion on the track, I don't actually have any evidence to back up my argument, but "High Life" must surely be a universally loved track. How can you not love something so mightily happy?

Following the "Superheroes" and "High Life" up-tempo funkathons comes the somewhat slower, more melancholy "Something About Us". With the re-introduction of a [proper] vocal for this track (as opposed to the preceding vocal-snippet-sampled instrumentals), "Something About Us" fits into the mould of what I'd describe as a 'nice' track.

"I need you more than anything in my life
I want you more than anything in my life
I'll miss you more than anyone in my life
I love you more than anyone in my life"

A seemingly more humble effort than anything else on "Discovery", "Something About Us" is actually rather good. Although down-tempo 'n all that, the typical Daft Punk funkiness is not lost on this track, and all in all, the album's deepest, most meaningful track also happens to be one of the album's finest.

What seemed to me to be jus' another filler kinda track (as with "Nightvision") follows "Something About Us", in the shape of "Voyager". In all fairness, at nearly four minutes in length, duration-wise it's a full-blown track (albeit a relatively short one). BUT...

...Aha. Ever heard of a track called "Yes I Will" by Nu Colours? Oh, thought not. Anyway, there's this track called "Yes I Will" by Nu Colours who - you've guessed it - are Daft Punk in disguise. With "Voyager" merely a very good instrumental, implementing excellent strings here and there (work of the harp, possibly), "Yes
I Will" draws out the build-up, breakdowns and what-have-you into a (full) full length track (ie about 7 minutes or so) before slapping a top vocal over the top.

Anyway, "Yes I Will" just ain't on the album so really what I've just said is irrelevant. Irrelevant, that is, to all but those who know "Voyager" (and it'd be helpful if they liked it too), in which case keep eyes peeled for the Nu Colours offering.

Those who haven't heard "Voyager" I take it because I'm giving this album 5 stars and stating 'yes' to recommend to a friend you'll be rushing out to buy this album first thing tomorrow morning. In which case you can then listen to "Voyager". And love.

Knocking back a fair few BPMs for the eleventh track on the album, from a solitary organ melody building to, erm, an organ melody with some other stuff going on, "Veridis Quo" takes the "Nightvision" chill-out style approach to the next level (ie goes on that little bit longer).

Wonderfully easy on the ears, "Veridis Quo" is one of them gems you can listen to over and over again, without it becoming tedious in the least. I can anyway.

Well, as I said, from the solitary organ, a similarly softly spoken beat gradually fades into the mix, before one or two gentle melodies let themselves be heard. Braking down about half way through, all then builds as the track reaches its peak before, unceremoniously, typical French house stylee, fading out.

With "Crescendolls" ranking in as the only track on the album for which I actually feel I dislike, the album's final instrumental, "Short Circuit" almost, almost slips in there to double the tally. Luckily, it has elements I very much like.

[Cheesy] kinda disco-funk influences kick off the track in a manner which usually gets the, "Oh no, not this one again" attitude firmly
established in my mind. Needless to say, I don't like it. Sounding, ooh, I don't know, sort of quirky, "Short Circuit" just makes my ears bleed.

Bleed until it changes, that is, (about) half way through the track. Things suddenly mellow down and all of a sudden "Hmm, this isn't too bad after all" are the thoughts of wisdom pouring from my head.

Very much a track of two halves, then. Is that all that bad though? I mean Blackburn Rovers play in blue and white halves and they're the favourite team of just about everyone in the country right now. Don't tell me they're not. How can they not be with beauts such as Brad Friedel and Corrado Grabbi amongst the many superstars at their disposal?

Please, I'm being serious.

Now then, "Face To Face". To be perfectly honest, I like it. I don't mean to surprise anyone after all that's been said previously in this opinion or anything like that, but I really like it.

With excellent vocals, courtesy of Todd Edwards, coupled with a satisfyingly funky bass line, "Face To Face" is just about perfect (although not as perfect as "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" or it'd be my favourite track on the album, which it's not). Although not so chilled as "Nightvision" or "Veridis Quo", "Face To Face" is still pretty chilled. Kind of as though "Nightvision" and "Veridis Quo" act as the 'freezer' with "Face To Face" merely a 'fridge'. Or you can come up with your own theory if you'd rather.

"It really didn't make sense
Just to leave this unresolved
It's not hard to go the distance
When you finally get involved face to face"

The return of Romanthony, previously last seen at the opening track, "One More Time", spells the final track on the album (no, there are no bonus track
s as the dooyoo track listing suggests), "Too Long". Probably the most club-friendly track on the album, "Too Long", as with "Face To Face" is just about perfect. Gradually building from very little, "Too Long" eventually evolves into a wickedly funky cut up mish-mash of audio delights by the time the 10 or so minutes for which it clocks in at have elapsed.

From slightly less frantic opening verses as the track starts to get going, "Too Long" ends up with, slightly more frantic verses towards the end.

Example:

START

"It's been much too long, I feel it coming on
The feeling is getting strong
It's been much too long, I feel it coming on
The feeling is in my bones"

END

"You know you need, I need it too
You know you need it, it's good for you
We're gonna move
You know you need it, I need it too
You know you need it

It's good for you"

Doesn't really give the desired impression, which is why you'll have to just listen to the track and hear for yourself. Pure brilliance, believe.


Oh. That's your lot, I'm afraid. So then, I'm sure everyone's dying to know. Is it better than "Homework"?

Well, actually most people who have "Homework" tend to have "Discovery" also, in which case there ain't much point in me tellin' you as you already know. For those who don't, however, yep. I prefer "Discovery". Although admittedly more poppy, "Discovery", I feel, has nothing out and out dud on it ("Crescendolls" is the lowest point, and even that's above sea level, so to speak). "Homework" moreover, more club-friendly certainly, suffers with the additions of such tracks as "Rollin & Scratchin" and "Teachers", I feel. Both good though, very good.


I could now tell you about the Daft Card which is supplied with every (vinyl & CD) copy of the album. I could tell you how it allows you to access daftcard.com, which then allows you to download exclusive Daft Punk tracks and mixes.

But I won't.

I could also mention now how for all of the Punks' videos made so far for the released singles on the album the start and end of each link, following on on order of when they were released ("One More Time" > "Aerodynamic" > "Digital Love" and so on).

But I won't.

Alright, I'm sure I've bored you to death by now. Sorry 'bout that. Anyway, in case I didn't make it clear, I'll just state one last time that I like this album.

I'll shut up now.

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