Review Summary: Dad Funk
From a production standpoint, Random Access Memories sounds phenomenal. It's music as a gourmet lollipop. Total ear candy. An audiophile's best friend. What more could one ask for? What indeed...
First, how about something new? Daft Punk explored very similar sounds on their 2001 masterpiece "Discovery." Back then, their shift from underground house and techno stylings to a vibrant hybrid of "uncool" sounds from 70's and 80's AM radio was not only novel, it took guts to pull off. Now, two proper albums and twelve years later, DP are falling backward rather than pushing their music forward. Even worse, what really sets RAM apart from Discovery is the extent to which it slavishly imitates its influences rather than forge something new and identifiably D-Punkian. If you're already stocked up on Chic and Earth, Wind & Fire records and still can't get enough of those grooves, by all means enjoy the feast that awaits you here. But if not, you're better off getting the originals rather than the comparably tame knock-offs. For instance, "Get Lucky" and "Lose Yourself to Dance" both feature some classic funky licks from Chic's Nile Rogers, not to mention singer Pharrell Williams' best impersonation of EW&F. The songs are close to being a perfect fusion of the two bands, and yet Pharrell's voice sounds thin and forced compared to the smooth disco legends of yore, and his lyrics are just embarrassing. Plus, nowhere in the songs do the personality of its creators (remember, Daft Punk?) really pop out. Discovery is more than a decade old now, and it still sounds fresher than this one. So does "Moon Safari," the 1998 album by Air. You know, that other French electronic duo who fused M.O.R. music from similar eras into a sound that the loungier tracks of R.A.M. come very close to duplicating---but alas, not quite.
Second, how about something with a little more life to it? Even if you just want to ape your childhood heroes, at least do it with abandon. So much of this record feels safe, predictable, over-calculated, and bloodless. The lyrics are mind-numbingly superficial, cliche disco or ballad boilerplate. Don't get me wrong, Homework and Discovery weren't deep either, but their mish-mash of styles were more inspired, often transcendent. By comparison, this can be ponderous, stodgy, even a bit preachy in its promotion of pop's past. Judging from the promotional features, it seemed as if Daft Punk were nursing some high ambitions with this record, and yet it's the most conservative thing I've heard in some time. Worse, it's completely guarded: these fuddy-duddies hiding in Robo helmets have obscured their own personalities within their perfected replication of bygone eras. Kraftwerk sounds more expressive than this, and they were trying really hard to keep the robot thing up! Bangalter and de Homem-Christo, on the other hand, obsessing over the sonic details of their musical wax museum, have left all of the human touches to their guests. Ultimately, the Robots only care to give us a well-crafted dance "product," a rich gourmet lollipop (with authentic nostalgia flavor!), a classy alternative to Skrillex, and hope we don't crave something more substantial.
Some will be perfectly fine with this luxury confection. They'll eat it up without a second thought. Me, I'll pare this down to the eight best songs (i.e., the ones that aren't completely boring), and have a grooving, non-intrusive soundtrack to spreadsheet maintenance and household chores. One for the ages...
