Daft Punk-"Discovery" Review

After a full four years after their debut fell out of the clear blue sky, Daft Punk (French house duo Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homen-Christo) return with 2001's "Discovery", which rushes in with color and style. As they so ingeniously depict on the album's cover, "Discovery" is a subtle, shiny state-of-the-art electronic album that's as every bit rainbow-dappled as it is simple. Proven by the lead single "One More Time" (one of the best, if not the best, party song ever recorded), Daft Punk are blindingly talented producers who give their songs melodic hooks while keeping the driving bass-lines intact. They also know how to vary their loops (which there are too much of), giving each song a distinctly different character than its surrounding material. But ultimately, what makes "Discovery" a better record than its predecessor is that it captures Daft Punk's 70s/80s obsession more consistently than their debut. Notice the cool, synth-driven "Nightvision" (one of eight instrumental tracks here), which sounds like it was ripped off an out-take from one of Madonna's albums in the early 80s. Then there's "Veridis Quo", a song that is very reminiscent of one of the first Mario games with its MIDI orchestra and baroque hook. Then there's the misleadingly named "Face to Face" (there's hardly any danger of Daft Punk removing their helmets any time soon), which appears near the end of the record and is one of the best retro-pop songs here. But with all of its obsessions, "Discovery" does offer a few sounds that are straight 2001: the ludicriously anthemic "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is a perfect fit for the clubs, while "Aerodynamic" is a progressive, synth-drenched electronica that perfectly defines Daft Punk in this moment. It shows that while their era of inspiration may be far behind, they're not afraid of hauling old ways into the present, while at once using it to push music of their era forward. That's not an easy feat, as any artist of the new millennium would wish to make music that glides easily but runs deep. This makes "Discovery" a lush and widely accessible album that's one of the most individual records of this decade.

Recommended Tracks in Bold:

1. One More Time             2. Aerodynamic                    3. Digital Love

4. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger                          5. Crescendolls

6. Nightvision                        7. Superheroes                      8. High Life

9. Something About Us        10. Voyager                           11. Veridis Quo

12. Short Circuit                   13. Face to Face                14. Too Long