Viccars' album review

by Paul Viccars

Artist: Daft Punk

Label: Virgin Records

Producers: Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo.

1.       One More Time ★★★★☆

2.       Aerodynamic ★★★★★

3.       Digital Love ★★★★☆

4.       Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger ★★★★☆

5.       Crescendolls ★★★☆☆

6.       Nightvision ★★☆☆☆

7.       Superheroes ★★★★☆

8.       High Life ★★★★☆

9.       Something About Us ★★☆☆☆

10.   Voyager ★★☆☆☆

11.   Veridis Quo ★★☆☆☆

12.   Short Circuit ★★☆☆☆

13.   Face to Face ★★★☆☆

14.   Too Long ★★★★☆

Welcome ladies, gentlemen, robots and children of all ages to one of the greatest albums of all time. Daft Punk’s Discovery is the French robots’ second studio album and what an album! This album changed the face of “house” music forever. Influencing such artists like Justice and the ENTIRE French house music scene such as Ed Bangers Records, which is the home of numerous electronic/alternative artists whom synced themselves up to the robots sound.

Later collaborating with Toei Animation (Japanese animation studio – Dragon Ball Z, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Digimon) to use Discovery as the score on a movie called Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, with each song forming a segment of the movie.

In the movie “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” is played during a scene when the extra-terrestrial beings are being converted into industry zombie-slaves by an EVIL INDUSTRY CORPORATION! In my own opinion I believe this scene forming the best relationship between music and movie because if you listen to the lyrics it does sound like a well-oiled superstar making machine, “work it harder (the band), make it better (commercialisation), move it faster (sales), makes us stronger (company profit)” “hour after hour, our work is never over” (repeat process). Perfectly summing up how some parts of the music business can function with little to know consideration towards the artists, they just want to bleed them dry like a vampire but worse… like those weird Reaper vampires from Blade 2!

Discovery introduced house music to the masses in a way I’m sure Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo weren’t expecting! They have been quoted as saying after “Too Long” they “didn’t want to do 14 more house tracks” so they set out to incorporate a variety of sounds which later defined a genre, a genre best described as a fusion between house and pop music.

If I wanted to prove to anyone that house music is good and deserves respect then I’d recommend Discovery.

★★★★★

The Mayo & Viccars Show - Mondays 8pm on Secklow Sounds