Consisting of two French musicians; Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, Daft Punk are musical geniuses of their genre, that of electronic music. They gained prominence in the late 90s French house scene and have released albums that are widely considered essential to the genre. Their debut release ‘Homework’ was stunning and introduced the world to their amazing talent via the single ‘Around the World’. They are not only famous for their music but also for their visual style and live performances. They never make appearances which reveal their faces, preferring to disguise themselves under layers of robot suits and masks. This air of illusion only serves to add to the overall affect.
Discovery was released in 2001 and is easily on of the greatest albums ever made. It is unbelievably beautiful from start to end and contains few flaws, if any. IT’s an album that can be listened to again and again and never get bored with. It is a towering tour de force covering many bases; catchy pop, driving trance, electro house and somber electronic.
The album begins with the irresistibly catchy ‘One More Time’. It’s addictive, its infectious and grows on you in such a way that every time you hear it you simply have to dance. ‘Aerodynamic’ is a great electro-metal piece with really amazing guitar effects which transform the instrument into a keyboard and ends in a crazy blend of stomping bass and hyped up harmonics. Next is ‘Digital Love’ which evokes images of 80’s synth pop, it’s a great fun song despite its monosyllabic lyrics throughout. ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ is a gem of a song and a resounding standout. I can’t believe I am actually saying this given that Cher completely destroyed any credibility the Vocoder had, but Daft Punk’s use of the Vocoder is simply stunning; they are masters of their work! ‘Crescendolls’ is one of my favorite songs, I understand the repeated sampling of the same line again and again may be irritating for many, but Daft Punk are the only band that can do this and not bore me. Their gigantic beats and pinpoint precision always keep it interesting and is a highly sophisticated song despite its apparent simplicity ‘NightVision’ brings the tempo down to some somber mood, short but exceptionally put together under laid with the pounding heartbeat throughout the piece. ‘Superheroes’ is another upbeat genius g-beat songs. Again, minimal sampling but done in a way that is truly amazing. ‘High Life’ harks back to the disco era and is one of the most danceable songs I have heard in a long time. This leads us nicely into the next more down tempo song ‘Something about Us’ with its mellow groves and soothing vocals. ‘Voyager’ is an interesting piece and some great bass work to match. ‘Verdis Quo’ starts of slow but builds upon layer on layer to create something truly awe inspiring. It reminds me somewhat of Jean Michelle Jarre but is great nonetheless. ‘Short Circuit’ is the only let down on this album, the ‘what were you thinking’? moment if you will. It’s best to skip this track and pretend it was never on the track listing. ‘Face to Face’ is one of the best songs on the album, I cannot even begin to praise this song enough, my only criticism is that it’s only 3 minutes long when it should be some 8 minute epic. Finally we finish with ‘Too Long’ which at first appears a joke when the track clocks in at 10 minute precisely. It’s different to the other tracks on here but it, again, is terrifically made and really adds to make this album as great as it is.
This album is an essential for any music lover, you cannot even begin to start a record collection and omit this classic. One of my favorite albums of all time, here at number 6 is Daft Punk with ‘Discovery’
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