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Rating:
THE REVIEW
I only noticed the genius of this album a few days ago: it is much more similar to Kraftwerk's music than it seems, yet at the same time it is uniquely reimagined. The very short "On/Off", for example, seems to be inspired by equally brief tracks like "News" from "Radio-Activity", where there is no music but only anonymous voices speaking. And the title track is evidently inspired by "The Man Machine": while there the lyrics say "The man machine machine machine...", here it says "Human human human human human after all!" But the concept is very similar: man becoming machine and machine feeling like a man, a concept as profound as it is fitting for the image of Daft Punk (since they appear as robots). Another proof of this "robot-human" theory is "Emotion", which from the title hints at emotion as well as the humanization (precisely) of robots. And if in "The Robots" the German band said "We are the robots", here obviously the French duo says "We are human". And the list is long, just read the tracklist titles to uncover other conceptual or less conceptual similarities with Kraftwerk. Even the symbolic cover of the album resembles that of "Computer World": there was a computer with the four Kraftwerk members projected on the screen, here there is a television with the name "Daft Punk" projected! It's incredible to think that only in 2004 (the work dates back to the last months of this year) two electronic musicians chose an object common to the world for decades as the album cover: television! What geniuses! 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. Perhaps Daft Punk wanted to continue, in their own way, the long list of "technological" concepts developed by Kraftwerk. Unfortunately, especially on the first listen, the album will not seem as danceable as the previous "Homework" and "Discovery". But even though it is musically a bit less successful than their previous albums, the robotic-humanistic hypotheses (and more) to be found are many more. It is an album dedicated to the two of them, robots that are a reference point for modern dance. And even in the music videos for the singles "Robot Rock" and "Technologic", finally, the two appear in flesh and blood (but with big masks!).
What geniuses.
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Summary by Bot
This review highlights Daft Punk's 'Human After All' as a cleverly crafted album deeply inspired by Kraftwerk's electronic legacy. The album explores the fusion of robots and humans through its tracks and symbolism. While not as immediately danceable as earlier works, its conceptual depth and innovation stand out. The album cover and music videos reinforce Daft Punk's robotic identity. It's a thoughtful, artistic tribute within the electronic music scene.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Daft Punk
Daft Punk was a French electronic music duo formed by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, known for pioneering French house and for albums such as Homework, Discovery and Random Access Memories, a distinctive robot persona and large-scale live shows.34 Reviews
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 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.
By Il Tarantiniano
"Human After All is the revenge of Daft Punk—distancing themselves from their comfort zone."
"Technologic... fills the atmosphere and makes it even more neurotic in its irresistibility."
