•
Rating: At launch in the distant 2005, I immediately thought that Human After All was a gigantic trolling, to be honest, not even too entertaining, with prototypical tracks probably discarded from Discovery and based on a 10-second idea looped for 5 minutes. It was also an album that, despite the unprecedented monotony, managed also to be short. Let's see if after 17 years things have changed and if there are any margins for reassessment. This is because Daft Punk for me started and almost ended with the splendid Homework, with an unexpected artistic revival in the surprising soundtrack of Tron Legacy. On the other hand, Homework was quite provocative at times and always based on sampling and repetition, a language nonetheless not unfamiliar to many electronic productions. In this case, however, we are talking about a different monotony, probably programmatic, as the album seems to push forward a true concept of dehumanization of music, with an extremely mechanical execution and obstinately resistant to any form of progression. I've been producing electronic music for years and I know some tricks, I can see the framework of a track beyond the emotions it may fuel, but even an untrained ear or a brain not particularly musically analytical can tell that we are facing ten tracks based on a loop repeated with disturbing repetitiveness, with minimal variations (when there are any).
This design leads to a rapid degradation of the listening experience, one survives with the title track thanks to a good result of the vocoder, but from "Robot Rock" the discomfort begins: after a brief variation, the track continues with a line suspended infinitely in time, as if the producer is testing a looped channel in his DAW, to hear if all sounds are fine. The listening is not painless even today, especially considering that the track has great potential with its initial attack, and above all, despite recalling, as mentioned, the assets of Discovery, it sounds extraordinarily like something old and new combined. "Steam Machine" continues in the same spirit, while in "Make Love" there's not even the interest to insert minimal variations to distract from the fact of facing a repeated sample for over three minutes. This systematic drought seems to work truly only with "The Brainwasher", the most irritating track on the album, which begins with a hilarious nod to Black Sabbath and then proceeds like malware in the ear, yet it’s the only one that really keeps attention alive until the end. "Emotion" closes the work, reiterating its blatant sarcasm since the title, in this case too it's little more than an idea repeated to infinity, with minimal variations and no structural development.
From what you've read, you might think I'm not particularly satisfied even today, in reality, HAA was perhaps an experiment with questionable utility, but with its own charm. None of the ten tracks can be defined as bad, even today, and I would choose it over all of Random Access Memory. It also had the commendable merit of presenting a sound in its fresh and original way, without the perhaps ingratiating pretensions of Discovery (I admit that back then I liked it), an album that, although it seemed inevitable, exposed the French producers to a dangerous mainstream drift that this perverse twin seeks to correct. This does not imply that HAA can be taken too seriously in its design; the ambiguity between a masterpiece of alienating essentiality and a hastily made folly to fuel blatant narcissism leans a bit too much toward the latter.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Human After All (05:19)
We are human after all
Much in common after all
We are human after all
Much in common after all
We are human after all
Much in common after all
We are human after all
Much in common after all
We are human after all
Much in common after all
We are human after all
Much in common after all
We are human after all
Much in common after all
We are human after all
Much in common after all
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human human after all
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human after all
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human after all
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human after all
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human after all
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human after all
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human, human
Human, human, human after all
03 Robot Rock (04:47)
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
Rock, robot rock
09 Technologic (04:44)
Buy it, use it, break it, fix it, trash it, change it, mail upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it, snap it, work it, quick erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it, load it, check it, quick rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it, drag it, drop it, zip unzip it,
Lock it, fill it, call it, find it, view it, code it, jam unlock it,
Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it, cross it, crack it, switch update it,
Name it, read it, tune it, print it, scan it, send it, fax rename it,
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it, turn it, leave it, start format it
Buy it, use it, break it, fix it, trash it, change it, mail upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it, snap it, work it, quick erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it, load it, check it, quick rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it, drag it, drop it, zip unzip it,
Lock it, fill it, call it, find it, view it, code it, jam unlock it,
Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it, cross it, crack it, switch update it,
Name it, read it, tune it, print it, scan it, send it, fax rename it,
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it, turn it, leave it, start format it
Technologic
Technologic
Technologic
Technologic
Buy it, use it, break it, fix it, trash it, change it, mail upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it, snap it, work it, quick erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it, load it, check it, quick rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it, drag it, drop it, zip unzip it,
Lock it, fill it, call it, find it, view it, code it, jam unlock it,
Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it, cross it, crack it, switch update it,
Name it, read it, tune it, print it, scan it, send it, fax rename it,
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it, turn it, leave it, start format it
Buy it, use it, break it, fix it, trash it, change it, mail upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it, snap it, work it, quick erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it, load it, check it, quick rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it, drag it, drop it, zip unzip it,
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it, turn it, leave it, start format it
Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it, cross it, crack it, switch update it
Lock it, fill it, call it, find it, view it, code it, jam unlock it,
Buy it, use it, break it, fix it, trash it, change it, mail upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it, snap it, work it, quick erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it, load it, check it, quick rewrite it
Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it, cross it, crack it, switch update it,
Name it, read it, tune it, print it, scan it, send it, fax rename it,
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it, turn it, leave it, start format it
Buy it, use it, break it, fix it, trash it, change it, mail upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it, snap it, work it, quick erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it, load it, check it, quick rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it, drag it, drop it, zip unzip it,
Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it, cross it, crack it, switch update it,
Name it, read it, tune it, print it, scan it, send it, fax rename it,
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it, turn it, leave it, start format it
Buy it, use it, break it, fix it, trash it, change it, mail upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it, snap it, work it, quick erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it, load it, check it, quick rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it, drag it, drop it, zip unzip it,
Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it, cross it, crack it, switch update it,
Name it, read it, tune it, print it, scan it, send it, fax rename it
Buy it, use it, break it, fix it, trash it, change it, mail upgrade it,
Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it, snap it, work it, quick erase it,
Write it, cut it, paste it, save it, load it, check it, quick rewrite it,
Plug it, play it, burn it, rip it, drag it, drop it, zip unzip it
Lock it, fill it, call it, find it, view it, code it, jam unlock it,
Surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it, cross it, crack it, switch update it,
Name it, read it, tune it, print it, scan it, send it, fax rename it,
Touch it, bring it, pay it, watch it, turn it, leave it, start format it
Technologic
Technologic
Technologic
Technologic
Technologic
Technologic
Technologic
Technologic
Technologic
Technologic
Technologic
Technologic
10 Emotion (06:58)
(Emotion x410)
Emotion x124
(Calculated data 1 soft "Emotion" approximately every second through entire song, loud "Emotion" approximately every 3 seconds starting at 0:40 till end)
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Other reviews
By Giubbo
I thought a month and a half was too much; this is stuff that could have been done in a week.
What is completely missing are the ideas, which were certainly not lacking in previous works.
By daftroby
It is much more similar to Kraftwerk’s music than it seems, yet at the same time it is uniquely reimagined.
This 'Human after all' could have been titled 'Television World' or 'Television rules the nation', but in any case, no one thought of it before.
By Jack_85
Only two robots could create such a work.
This CD is a big screw you to everyone who can’t grasp the genius that fills each song.
By GATTINATOR
For the first time in my life, I felt a bit of disappointment with this fabulous duo.
Nice album, but it could have been better.
By Ilpazzo
Working with trash in a genius manner is their job!
At first you say 'this is boring, it’s always the same loop,' but day after day you can’t help but listen to it.
