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Obviously if a lot of people are disappointed they weren't completely successful, but what will probably happen is they'll release something like "RAM expansion" and create tracks with more beep boop and I think it will satisfy some that are disappointed now. Not that the lack of electronic components is necessarily why a lot of people are disappointed, but a higher energy remix (ala Alive 2007) certainly makes a lot of tracks "click" for some people. It happened to me in a huge way, when I saw Alive 2007 in concert, tracks like The Brainwasher made sense to me finally.
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May 17, 2013 19:13
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thathonkey posted:This is a great album... If you start in the middle and ignore XYZ. Great point. Even great albums have duds on them. I still can't listen to Something About Us, it's the one 90s cheese track that doesn't work on an album full of 90s cheese.
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May 17, 2013 19:21
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I don't think anyone is saying it's bad or that it sucks, but that it's just disappointing because it was sold as something it wasn't. The first single, the youtube videos, the clothes and collaborators all had it pointing to being a disco-funk record and the soundtrack of the summer, but it ended up being (in my and many people's opinion) a boring soft rock record, and far removed from what people like most about Daft Punk, and wouldn't probably listen to if their names weren't attached to this. I spent last night listening to Earth Wind and Fire on youtube to get my appetite whet, and then I pick up the album and...  The best question I would ask anyone who says that this is a great record, would you praise this if it wasn't made by Daft Punk?
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May 17, 2013 19:23
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Cameron posted:I don't think anyone is saying it's bad or that it sucks There are people saying that in this very thread. quote:The best question I would ask anyone who says that this is a great record, would you praise this if it wasn't made by Daft Punk? I think I would. There are two songs on the album I could do without, only one of which I think I actively hate. The rest are good tunes and I wouldn't have to mention who made them to explain why I enjoy them. It's not likely my album of the year, it's not my favorite DP album, but I wasn't disappointed at all. I'm also not sitting around marveling to myself that people would have a different opinion than I do to the point that I need some proof they aren't just faking it. Why exactly do people who like the album have to defend their tastes to you and assure you they aren't praising it based on who made it? Who exactly are you expecting to post in the music discussion forum "Nah, you're right. I have some sort of odd personal stake in how Daft Punk do and I can't think of any other reason to like this album" Intel&Sebastian fucked around with this message at 19:48 on May 17, 2013 |
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May 17, 2013 19:34
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Cameron posted:I don't think anyone is saying it's bad or that it sucks, but that it's just disappointing because it was sold as something it wasn't. The first single, the youtube videos, the clothes and collaborators all had it pointing to being a disco-funk record and the soundtrack of the summer, It's not?
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May 17, 2013 19:35
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Im not going to be listening to it either way because it is mediocre music no matter whose name is attached to it. But that is just me. I dont think the "bait and switch" aspect helped curb any backlash though. Also the run time and feature list just screams "self-indulgent has beens get together to wank for far too long"
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May 17, 2013 19:48
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Is the divisiveness of the reactions to this album a generational thing, or just a taste thing? I really dig it. Maybe I don't love it, but I really enjoy it without dismissing any of the tracks. Maybe it is because I remember, from childhood, a lot of the late 70's, early 80's music that this album is drawing from. Maybe it is because I have an un-ironic love for some of the themes and styles they cover. It seems aptly named too; invoking snippets of "random memories" from my youth. Or whatever.  I hope that some of the people so vocal about their disdain for RAM go back and give it another shot in a year or so.
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May 17, 2013 20:02
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dj bobby bieber posted:... Really? And Twitter is littered with poo poo like this. Anyway, I wrote an essay on why I don't like it, and I talk a lot about disco so don't read it Illavick or you may turn into a cokehomo. Chiming in to say this was a really good read. I actually liked the percussion for the most part but I def agree with what you're saying
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May 17, 2013 20:06
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I do feel the critical consensus of this one is going to change over the next few years like it did for Discovery.
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May 17, 2013 20:11
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GNU Order posted:Chiming in to say this was a really good read. I actually liked the percussion for the most part but I def agree with what you're saying Thank you, I appreciate the feedback (I haven't done a long-form critical review before)
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May 17, 2013 20:17
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JAMOOOL posted:I do feel the critical consensus of this one is going to change over the next few years like it did for Discovery. I couldn't say either way but one thing that made my eyebrow raise is the variety of songs people are singling for being good or bad. That makes me think something interesting is going down with the reception but I don't know what. The forums are their own unique beast but it doesn't look like this one is having as hard of a landing as Discovery with professional critics...which might actually be a product of Discovery and HAA being "rescued" in their own ways.
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May 17, 2013 20:18
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I've been asking friends what they think, and everyone seems to really like it. My boss LOVES it, it's crazy how polarizing it is online though. Some people are obsessed, and some people can't find ANY redeemable qualities and think every song sucks. That's a pretty damned big gap. haha.
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May 17, 2013 20:27
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dj bobby bieber posted:Thank you, I appreciate the feedback (I haven't done a long-form critical review before) I read your blog post last night and while I do agree with a lot of things I also disagree with some. I've heard a lot of people talk about how one of the best tracks on the album is Doin' it Right and I just can't see that. I like the song but to me songs like Lose yourself to dance, Giorgo by Moroder, Give life back to music, Touch or Fragments of Time. Those are pretty much my favorite songs off the album because I guess they're just really fun. You talk about how Fragments of Time is this Doobie Brothers track devoid of character but man I don't know its just such a feel good song to me that I love it. It has a huge Doobie Brothers vibe but it also reminds me of Hall and Oates stuff, and I don't know I like that stuff. Good read though and I liked the examples you brought out of good disco (Escort owns!). To each their own I guess.
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May 17, 2013 20:34
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Hobelhouse posted:Even great albums have duds on them.
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May 17, 2013 20:42
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A friend linked me this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbCTG0-PkRA
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May 17, 2013 21:50
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Abel Wingnut posted:Why did Touch have to go into ragtime? Ha, I love that bit. It makes the song, there's so much going on when that happens.
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May 17, 2013 21:52
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I feel like my balls drop all over again every time I hear the kick in Doin' It Right. Also, driving to Contact is a bad idea and you shouldn't do it (just kidding, go do it right now  )
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May 17, 2013 21:55
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http://www.nme.com/news/daft-punk/70363quote:Yesterday (May 16), meanwhile, it was reported that Daft Punk are predicted to break Oasis' record for the fastest selling album in UK chart history.The Britpop band's 1997 LP 'Be Here Now' sold 650,000 in its first week of sales, but 'Random Access Memories' has already scored the highest number of pre-sales for any dance album ever on Amazon and bookies Paddy Power are giving 4/5 odds on the record outselling Oasis's effort.
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May 17, 2013 21:58
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Remember when DJ/producers used to release dance tracks/albums and goons would listen and say 'hey this sounds good to dance to' and then go out and dance to them? Oh who am I kidding goons can't dance!! (neither can Thomas or Guy for that matter)  
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May 17, 2013 22:09
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Not being good at dancing covers like at least 95% of the population and it has never stopped anybody before.
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May 17, 2013 22:21
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okkie posted:Either way, I bumped into this and thought it was pretty apt. This points out that the opening to Give Life Back to Music is the greatest 1980s television opening theme we never had and I'm okay with this.
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May 17, 2013 22:38
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Hahahah, I didn't even make the connection between Beyond and Super Mario Galaxy until I saw that. Now I'll probably never be able to unhear it.
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May 17, 2013 23:07
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This album is to 2013 as Be Here Now was to 1997 IMO
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May 17, 2013 23:15
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PonchAxis posted:I read your blog post last night and while I do agree with a lot of things I also disagree with some. I've heard a lot of people talk about how one of the best tracks on the album is Doin' it Right and I just can't see that. I like the song but to me songs like Lose yourself to dance, Giorgo by Moroder, Give life back to music, Touch or Fragments of Time. Those are pretty much my favorite songs off the album because I guess they're just really fun. You talk about how Fragments of Time is this Doobie Brothers track devoid of character but man I don't know its just such a feel good song to me that I love it. It has a huge Doobie Brothers vibe but it also reminds me of Hall and Oates stuff, and I don't know I like that stuff. Good read though and I liked the examples you brought out of good disco (Escort owns!). To each their own I guess. Well, the percussion on Fragments of Time is really corny sounding and one of the most sterile pieces of the entire album - that's why I can't really connect with it. The Sade comparison is fitting, because her early-mid 80s stuff is littered with FM synths - think The Sweetest Taboo - the instrumentation is just really stiff and unnatural sounding. At the time, these synthesizers that could recreate bell sounds like the a rhodes were all the rage - but they have a certain timbre to them that makes them really stand out in my mind, and it's almost like hearing autotune. Her percussion on those albums isn't my favorite either. Her vocals, the recording texture (you can really hear it on the snare's reverb if you listen closely), and some of the other arrangement like the bass and the horns make it a great track. I wish Fragments of Time had some more of that rawness - it just sounds too clean and crisp, which is definitely not how I'd describe Hall and Oates. Maneater and I Can't Go For That are like polar opposites of this album in terms of recording and mix, and it makes a huge difference. I hope this doesn't sound like I'm saying you're wrong, I just like to discuss this stuff. Not trying to change anyone's mind, just offer a little subjective insight on the whole thing.
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May 18, 2013 00:03
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Not sure if anyone has heard of Brassft Punk, but they're a brass band hailing from my hometown of New Orleans started by this guy named Earl Scioneaux that exclusively does covers of Daft Punk songs. They have 4 songs up on SoundCloud now: Harder Better Faster Stronger, Around The World, Da Funk and One More Time. Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/iamjasonalexander-1 Really very cool, especially if you like jazz. These just scream New Orleans but while also remaining true to the originals and putting a pretty neat spin on them. Also, they had a Kickstarter to cover Get Lucky with a $2,000 goal and that goal has already been exceeded by almost $1,200, so that'll definitely be happening. It's going to be available to download in June.
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May 18, 2013 00:13
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thathonkey posted:I guess I do. I think you need to gain some perspective. I really don't want to pick nits, but I think it would be neat if you elaborated on how Daft Punk have become/are becoming irrelevant. Saying I don't have the right perspective or whatever the gently caress is a pretty lame cop out, buddy guy. I'm sure you meant to say "Daft Punk have become bad." Since they are quite obviously as far away from irrelevancy as any band could possibly be. In fact, I can't think of a band who is currently more relevant to the industry at large than Daft Punk. Anyway, RAM mostly owns fellas. Beyond is my favorite. Best new music. AwwJeah fucked around with this message at 03:36 on May 18, 2013 |
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May 18, 2013 02:41
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Touch has grown on me, wouldn't mind replacing the old man with a robot voice though. The more I listen the more I like Instant Crush and Fragments of Time, pure AM gold.
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May 18, 2013 03:12
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AwwJeah posted:I really don't want to pick nits, but I think it would be neat if you elaborated on how Daft Punk have become/are becoming irrelevant. Saying I don't have the right perspective or whatever the gently caress is a pretty lame cop out, buddy guy. I'm sure you meant to say "Daft Punk have become bad." Since they are quite obviously as far away from irrelevancy as any band could possibly be. In fact, I can't think of a band who is currently more relevant to the industry at large than Daft Punk. Theyve been made less relevant by factors like age (ie aging fan base) and other popular artists in the edm space displacing them (skrillex et al) but also because their last two albums have been lackluster people are starting to lose interest in general. Obviously they still have fans that love them but outside of their immediate fanbase theyre losing relevance. Edit: i can elablorate more when im not on my phone but if you cant see that daft punk peaked in popularity around ~2007 and has been on the decline since HAA then i dont know what to tell you partner, im not your buddy guy thathonkey fucked around with this message at 03:38 on May 18, 2013 |
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May 18, 2013 03:33
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thathonkey posted:Theyve been made less relevant by factors like age (ie aging fan base) and other popular artists in the edm space displacing them (skrillex et al) but also because their last two albums have been lackluster people are starting to lose interest in general. Obviously they still have fans that love them but outside of their immediate fanbase theyre losing relevance. I wouldn't say that. Sure, some people haven't liked this album and Human After All as much as their older albums. But if you ask almost anyone if they've heard of Daft Punk, people outside of EDM circles, they most likely have. They've pretty much reached legend status at this point. And if you followed the pre-release hype for this album, you know it was loving massive. Skrillex is very popular, yeah, but not nearly as much as Daft Punk and he probably never will be.
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May 18, 2013 03:39
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I think there's more eyes watching Daft Punk than ever before. I don't think it's a stretch to predict that RAM will easily shoot to #1 in the US next week. Whereas their other albums haven't even broken the top 40. I think you're just trying to say that Daft Punk are bad now. I just can't support your use of the word "irrelevant." AwwJeah fucked around with this message at 03:46 on May 18, 2013 |
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May 18, 2013 03:43
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They weren't even that popular during discovery. Actually, daft punk wasn't really even THAT famous until people poo poo their pants at coachella in 2007. Of course people knew songs like around the world , da funk, and one more time , but it wasn't really until 2007 where all eyes were on them. I wasn't around on SA back when human after all came out , but I'd imagine it would have been 93749383 times worse then the reaction to RAM.
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May 18, 2013 03:46
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Charting #1 right now only means a fraction of what it did 15 years ago. The Decemberists are a prime example.
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May 18, 2013 03:47
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Oh, I'm absolutely sure of it. But the predictions saying that they'll break Oasis' nearly two decade record in the year 2013, a time when no one buys music ever, certainly means a lot. Edit: Anyway, I'm curious how many of you had your first exposure to Daft Punk while watching Toonami after school?
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May 18, 2013 03:50
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Ok well this argument isnt going to go anywhere. you guys want to believe theyre the most important thing in modern music still fine but i am not using "irrelevant" as a synonym for "bad" - i dont think theyre bad. We can see what happens once the album comes out.
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May 18, 2013 03:51
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somnambulist posted:They weren't even that popular during discovery. Actually, daft punk wasn't really even THAT famous until people poo poo their pants at coachella in 2007. Of course people knew songs like around the world , da funk, and one more time , but it wasn't really until 2007 where all eyes were on them. You underestimate greatly how popular Homework was - once they sold out of the vinyl records, it was drat near impossible to get a copy of the album, even on CD. It was huge internationally. Alive 2007 was more of a matter of timing, as Cross was out at the same time (and D.A.N.C.E. was huge), and French Touch was enjoying a nice revival as electronic music was becoming more accessible for pop. On top of that, Busta Rhymes and Kanye sampling them certainly helped Discovery, so it's a little elementary to just say "they weren't that famous."
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May 18, 2013 03:58
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I'm having difficulty enjoying this album as well. The goon-made review posted a few pages back was on the mark, I think. It also made me listen to Starlight by Escort and get into some real disco revivalism. For the record, I'm a huge Discovery fan. "Voyager" is my favorite Daft Punk track by a country mile. Azure_Horizon fucked around with this message at 04:03 on May 18, 2013 |
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May 18, 2013 04:01
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AwwJeah posted:Edit: Anyway, I'm curious how many of you had your first exposure to Daft Punk while watching Toonami after school? This is me, actually! 21 now, and I saw the One More Time segment of Interstella 5555 at my grandma's once and didn't know what it was, but I thought it was incredible. Heard the song in an ad a few years later and was still interested, and eventually found out about them in 7th grade, got Discovery, and listened to it until high school before I found out that, oh, they made other stuff! I still prefer Homework over Discovery, though. v  v
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May 18, 2013 04:02
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AwwJeah posted:Edit: Anyway, I'm curious how many of you had your first exposure to Daft Punk while watching Toonami after school? Me  22 now (23 in a couple months) and the first time I ever heard them (or even heard of them) was in 2001 when I was 11. I saw the video for One More Time on Toonami after school and my mind was blown. I wasn't into any electronic music when I was that age beyond anything top 40 that was electronic-influenced, really, and I didn't get into Daft Punk until a few years later, but I knew then and even after that that the song and video were something special.
Rageaholic fucked around with this message at 04:11 on May 18, 2013 |
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May 18, 2013 04:09
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Azure_Horizon posted:I'm having difficulty enjoying this album as well. The goon-made review posted a few pages back was on the mark, I think. It also made me listen to Starlight by Escort and get into some real disco revivalism. Thank you! Another really solid one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLXEGuR2gVM
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May 18, 2013 04:10
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thathonkey posted:Ok well this argument isnt going to go anywhere. you guys want to believe theyre the most important thing in modern music still fine but i am not using "irrelevant" as a synonym for "bad" - i dont think theyre bad. We can see what happens once the album comes out. Saying they're not irrelevant is not the same as saying they're the most important thing in modern music. When I first listened to this album, I loved bits and pieces, but was overall concerned with mostly the production and percussion sounding a little flat. After a few more listens, I can easily say that every song has grown on me, and "Doing it Right" has gone from being my favorite to potentially my least favorite, not because I like it less but because it is so out of place stylistically. I truly do think that they did something creative and fresh with this album. I don't think they "saved modern music" and I don't really think they were rebelling against laptop music either; I think people were really fleeced by the marketing (I guess that is the point of marketing) but I don't see the contradiction in getting extremely hyped for an album without buying into the "this is going to be a game changer" marketing. That being said, I am really amused by everyone saying "this is just derivative soft-rock that doesn't bring anything new to the table". I can hear a lot of influences on this album, from disco, from whatever genre Steely Dan is, from pop, but it really does sound like something new to me. It doesn't sound like a "new" disco album, it doesn't sound like a "new" prog album, it doesn't sound like a "new" house album, it doesn't sound like a "new" jazz-funk album. I realize that I won't convince any of the haters of the album with this (e.g., "why does Touch have a grandpa singing on it i hate old people"), but FWIW this album has gone from a minor disappointment to a major success for me, and I can easily say it will be in my rotation as much as Homework and Discovery. Just for different moods.
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