Daft Punk
Discovery

THE REVIEW

The cover is only slightly modified compared to "Homework," the debut from 1996, which was a trigger for the French scene (Air, Cassius, Modjo). Five years later, the follow-up. If they still have a taste for the dry dynamics à la Kraftwerk, analog sounds, and guitar samples like in "Aerodynamic," much of the original freshness has been lost. Five songs out of 14 are sung (too many), not just unique phrases repeated as in "Around the World" from "Homework," but actual songs; a whole 5 songs have a fully articulated text even included in the booklet! But when a text says nothing, is ugly, why include it? Sick ego? Is that how they justify the songs sung directly by T. Bangalter and G.M. de Homem-Christo? Is it why they poorly sing 3 songs themselves? These were not the Daft Punk of "Homework"; it's okay to evolve, necessary even, but not for the worse. The sung songs are useless; "One more Time" is a Saturday night song, instead sung by Romanthony (who is he???), here also co-producer (with a terrible voice à la Eiffel 65!) who even manages to ruin "Too Long" at the end. "Digital Love" is sung by Daft Punk themselves with a Buggles-like voice, annoying. Apart from self-references and quotes from Kraftwerk and 80’s electronics, the album is bad, we have listened to it multiple times waiting for it to grab us, but it lacks character. The sung songs irritate, and the instrumentals lack punch. The production is obviously impeccable, but the songs are missing. That’s the problem. We are left with nothing.