Daft Punk
Random Access Memories

LA RECENSIONE

[Small note: this is my first review. I know this is the third review of this album in two weeks... can you turn a blind eye?]

We all know that when we find ourselves in a difficult period or a values crisis, in any sector we find ourselves in, we can't help but rely on tradition, the good old days, and a return to the roots. And the music sector is no exception: in an age now dominated by "musical rubbish" (to use a term from "Battiatesca" memory), there's nothing left for us, with a bit of bitterness, but to seek refuge in the past, perhaps in the legendary '60s, the turbulent '70s, the glossy '80s. But can we ever move forward in this way? If we really can't surpass the glories of bygone decades, can't we at least do something to emulate them?

In recent years, several artists have tried, in their respective music genres, to adopt a retro style, most of the time resulting more in parodies than tributes.

However, the most famous and beloved duo dedicated to electronic music, Daft Punk, has finally returned to the scene, and after working on the soundtrack for "Tron Legacy", they have embarked on a new venture: to create a fresh electronic dance record, which at the same time results in a nostalgic leap into the past. The result of this venture is precisely "Random Access Memories", an excellent album that sounds modern and at the same time presents that typical flavor of the years between the Seventies and the Eighties. In most tracks, modernity and vintage blend perfectly, producing songs that are almost always unpretentious, but never frivolous. Nevertheless, there are some very surprising and complex tracks, where the two French "robots" showcase all their most original ideas: let's remember, for example, "Giorgio by Moroder", "Touch", and "Motherboard". "Random Access Memories" amazes greatly for its variety: to tracks very much in Seventies style (such as the irresistible "Get Lucky", "Give Life Back To Music" and "Fragments of Time") are interspersed with songs typical of today's pop and dance ("Doin' It Right", "Instant Crush" and "Lose Yourself To Dance", which, however, presents a sound à la Michael Jackson), which perhaps represent the most banal moments of the album. But the most engaging moments are those where futuristic sounds and tradition mix in the same tracks: this is the case of "The Game Of Love", "Beyond", and the already mentioned "Touch" (the most complex and interesting track of the album) and "Giorgio By Moroder". This eclecticism also derives from the participation in the project by some representatives of dance music of yesterday and today, such as the legendary Giorgio Moroder, Panda Bear, and Pharrell Williams.

This record thus represents a turning point in Daft Punk's recording career: indeed it is futile to imagine "Random Access Memories" as the successor to "Homework" or "Discovery". The sounds are very different, more mature, and much less tied to the house music of the origins. Very few sampled sounds, which were abundant in "Discovery", which was already half a tribute to the disco dance of the Seventies-Eighties. However, here the approach to the past is different: if in "Discovery" the sounds of the past were taken directly and remixed using the musical mentality of the 2000s, with "Random Access Memories" the duo decides to pay homage to the past that has enormously influenced their style by emulating it in light of the needs of the modern listener.

That's why this new record is courageous, and is fresh and retro at the same time. Of course, the album is not without defects (three or four tracks are almost embarrassing), it's not a masterpiece and doesn't represent anything revolutionary: however, it has the great virtue of waking us from the stupor that commercial pop music has fallen into in recent years.